C Major
by AvianJen
Summary: Nelly Carter is moving to Sweet Amoris high with an English teacher as a stepdad and low expectations, with no belief in the existence of love. Castiel Mason is hung up on a love that never existed to begin with. Bonding over music and sarcasm, the two quickly become inseparable, but an overwhelming amount of obstacles stand in their way, and there may be too many to overcome.
1. Prologue

_Hi, everybody! This is Ava. Before the story officially begins, I thought I would give you a little bit of info on myself and the story. _

_First, this will (hopefully) be the first of 3 stories. As of now, I have plans and outlines for a Lysander fic and a Nathaniel fic. Their stories will intertwine, meaning that you'll see a little bit of Katherine Morrison and towards the end, Ella Bennett. I'm hoping it will be interesting, because when I write the other stories parts of it will have the same dialogue as what's in this, but you'll get to see it all happen through their points of view. _

_Second, we're dealing with my character, Nelly, and Castiel, as well as Rosalya and some other characters who may be more prone to talking about suggestive topics. It does come up a lot in this story, so just be careful. I never go in to explicit detail. _

_Okay, lastly, I always love to hear what you think of the story, any predictions, etc, so please review! It's awesome to know that people are reading the story and if they like it._

_Sorry for that really long author's note. Enjoy!_

**PROLOGUE: NELLY CARTER**

I watched in dismay as my mother said "I do." She looked so happy, walking down the aisle to that man. So, so happy. Simon Faraize was his name. He had come to Chicago on a vacation, and when he spilled his morning coffee all over my mom's white blouse at Starbucks, they called it fate. Love at first sight; that's what they said. Destiny was calling._ True love._

_Love. What a ridiculous word._

I suppose I was happy for my mom because she was happy, but the last time she was "in love," it ended badly. I remember the scene all too well. My father, the one person in the entire world that I felt like I could trust, had violently struck my mom's porcelain cheek with the palm of his hand. She cried. And cursed. And then, without even saying goodbye, he picked up his acoustic guitar; our acoustic guitar, and I never saw him again.

That was seven years ago.

Now, Mom had supposedly found love again. But this time, she said, this time it was real. She wanted to spend the rest of her life with this _Simon._

Now, I may be going out on a limb here, but I'm pretty sure that's what everyone says before they get married. She'd never admit it, but I'm positive that when my father asked her to marry him, he said, "Deirdre, I love you with everything that I am, and I want to spend the rest of my life with you." And she would have said yes, because at the moment, that's what she wanted too.

But that's all love is; a temporary infatuation, a temporary desire, a temporary need. Love, like everything else that lives, eventually dies. So why do people waste their time?

The reception was even worse than the ceremony, because at the altar, if I cried Mom would believe that I was shedding tears of joy. Or if I appeared solemn, it was because a wedding is a serious event. But at the reception, I was required to smile. As the daughter of the bride, I was expected to be joyful, and most importantly, I was expected to dance.

I did not want to dance. So for the vast majority of the time, I sat at my table and pretended to be very interested in a purple grape that rested on my plate. That was all fine and dandy until the DJ decided he wanted to kill me.

"Please welcome the groom and his new daughter to the floor for a father daughter dance!" the DJ screamed into his headphones. Everyone applauded as Simon Faraize approached me at my seat and held out his hand, grinning like an idiot. I suppose he thinks that this is the happiest day of his life. I'll bet Dad thought that on his wedding day, too.

Mom smiled at me from across the room and gestured for me to take his hand. I didn't really have a choice, did I? I forced a grin onto my face and took my new stepfather's hand. As we danced, he began talking to me. Thankfully, around that same time people started joining us on the dance floor so that our conversation wasn't the center of attention.

"I know that I can never replace your father, Nelly," he said, "but I want you to know that I still think of you as my daughter. Your mother and I only want the best for you."

"Fantastic," I mumbled, refusing to make eye contact.

"Someday, perhaps, you will think of me as a father as well."

"Sorry," I replied, "but you're not Dad. You teach English; you don't play the guitar. You wear sweater vests, not leather jackets. You-"

"Nelly," he cut me off, his voice low. "I know I'm not your father. I just told you as much."

"Then why don't we just stop pretending that you are?" I snapped. "And tomorrow you and Mom can go on your little honeymoon and enjoy each other or whatever, and then we'll go to…" my mind drew a blank. "Where is it you live?"

"Amoris," Simon said gently.

"Right. Amoris. Some little town that doesn't even show up on MapQuest. And then I'll go to school, and we won't have to see each other except at dinner."

"Uh, Nelly…" Simon shifted his grip on my hand uncomfortably. "There's one thing you don't know about me."

"You play guitar?" I asked somewhat hopefully. To my disappointment, he shook his head.

"No…I'm afraid that I teach _twelfth _grade English," he divulged. "I'm going to be your teacher at school." Immediately, I dropped my hands and stepped away.

"You're _what?"_ I mouthed, unable to voice words. Simon gazed at me apologetically.

"I'm sorry we didn't tell you sooner," he said. "We didn't want to upset you."

"Oh, you didn't want to upset me?" I asked. My voice was suddenly high. "So you think that now is a good time to break the news?"

"Honey, is everything alright?" asks Mom. She comes up behind Simon Faraize and puts her hands on his shoulders. "Nelly, you look upset."

"Well, before I was informed that this douchebag is going to be my English teacher, I was only mostly angry. Now I just want to go home!"

"Nelly!" Mom admonished. "Apologize immediately!"

"No. I'm not apologizing because I'm not sorry. Now, if you'll excuse me." I ripped off my ridiculous high heels and stormed across the field to my car; a cute little red convertible. I had driven myself to the wedding because Mom had to be their early to get her hair curled. Earlier that morning, I had been a little offended by it, but now I saw that it was for the best. No one was going to make me stay.

I drove home alone in the dark at least ten miles per hour over the speed limit, with Imagine Dragons blaring from the speakers and the convertible hood down. The wind rushing through my hair gave me a sense of freedom, and for twenty blissful minutes, I could forget all about my mother and Simon Faraize. I could forget about them the whole week, too, while they were on their Caribbean cruise.

But when they came back, I was moving. Moving away to that little, tiny, pathetic excuse for a town. Not that I really cared much about moving; there wasn't much in Chicago for me anyways, but I did not want to live in a little house with that man, and I did not want him to be my English teacher. I would never get a break from schoolwork! I could see my future right before my eyes.

_Nelly, no going out until you finish that book!_

_Nelly, your writing skills are lacking. I want a thousand words before dinner!_

_Nelly, darling, pop quiz! Who invented the paperback book?_

_Nelly! Nelly! NELLY!_

So, sitting there in the car, I made a decision. At this new high school, whatever it's like, I was not going to submit to anyone. Not anyone. This Simon Faraize will not control my life. I just have to get through one more year, and then I'll be free.


	2. The First Day

**CASTIEL MASON**

Oh, joy. The first day of school. Someone just shoot me now.

"Hi, Cas! Miss me?" Please, please, _please _shoot me. Not kidding.

"No, Amber," I snarl at the girl behind me. I don't need to turn around to recognize her purposefully squeaky voice.

"Fine, then! Be that way!"

"I will, thank you for your permission," I say sarcastically. Why this bimbo's in love with me, I may never know.

"You're welcome," she huffs. I can hear her six-inch heels clanking on the pavement as she saunters away with her dumb-ass friends. My day is off to a _great _start.

It does brighten up a little bit when I catch sight of Lysander across the parking lot. He looks very relaxed, as per the usual, reclining on a bench and scribbling notes in his song book.

Lysander is pretty much the only person that can stand me, and he's just about the only person _I _can stand. He and his brother moved to Amoris about six months ago, and we met when I found his lost notebook. He didn't appreciate the fact that I had taken the liberty of thumbing through it, but when I did, I found that he was a songwriter. And a damn good one, at that. I asked him about his music, I told him about mine, and now I actually have someone to talk to at school. I had stopped playing guitar for a while until he persuaded me to pick it up again. Yes, he dresses like William Shakespeare's mother, but I've been trying this new thing where I don't insult people I like to the point of making them run away.

It's been more difficult than I anticipated.

Lysander looks up from his notebook and waves at me. I wave back, slam the door to my truck shut, and approach him.

"I trust you had a good summer, Castiel?" he asks, writing down a note in his book. He also _talks _like William Shakespeare's mother. But once you get used to it, it's not so bad.

"I was at your house for most of it," I remind him snidely. Lysander smiles to himself and keeps writing.

"Did you bring your guitar?" he asks. ….Damnit. How could I have forgotten?

"No, Demon was giving me hell this morning," I lie smoothly. "Completely forgot."

"Sure you did," says Lysander. By now he's grinning like an idiot. That's the other thing about him: he can see through anything.

"Don't be like that! This is what, the first time I've forgotten something?"

"Third," Lysander tells me. "There was one time you forgot to bring the amp, and another time you forgot your dog at my house and he ate the dress Leigh was making for Rosa." Oh, yeah…yeah that was bad. I actually felt bad about that. Demon also ate their pizza.

"Well, what about the time you forgot to finish that song, and the time you forgot to come over and were three hours late?" I counter. "Oh, and the time-"

"I will gladly admit that I have forgotten more things than you," Lysander agrees. "But I also believe that you forget more important things."

"Whatever," I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest and sitting down next to my friend. I peer over his shoulder at his writing. "Can I read that?" I ask him.

"No," he replies simply.

"Why?"

"Because you forgot your guitar."

"God, let it go!" I say, raising my voice to a low roar. Lysander, however, doesn't budge on his decision. Irritated, I shrug off my black leather jacket and stuff it into my bag, studying the student body activity as an alternative activity since Lysander refuses to talk to me. Sweet Amoris is so painfully _boring. _No one ever does anything at this school. Even now, on the first day, people are just wandering around aimlessly, minding their own business. There's not a single person who I haven't seen before; I recognize every single stupid face that passes by.

Five minutes before the bell, a little blue Cadillac pulls up in front of the school. Mr. Faraize, the English teacher, steps out of the driver's seat. Since everyone else is being boring and Mr. Faraize seems to be in a bad mood, I elect to watch him instead. Mr. Faraize leans back into the car like he's talking to someone. He looks stressed out for some reason, probably because he was almost late, and I'll bet the person in the passenger seat is the one who made him late. And sure enough, the passenger seat door opens suddenly, revealing a girl I've never seen before. A new girl. I didn't know Mr. Faraize had a daughter. And if he does, why is she only coming to school now? I'll have to investigate this.

The girl gets out of the car and quickly scans the outside of the school, a critical glare in her eyes. Her hair is a rare shade of orange, and it falls to her shoulders in loose, messy curls. Her skin is as white as paper. She must not have lived here for very long to have skin that white. Being in northern Florida, it's pretty safe to say that most everyone around here has a reasonably decent tan, myself included.

Mr. Faraize tries to say something to the girl, but she turns away without giving him the chance. She marches straight past Lysander and I and into the school without stopping for everyone. People stare at her as she goes by, curious looks in their eyes. She _is_ the new girl, though, and Sweet Amoris isn't very big. Stares are to be expected. Poor, flustered Mr. Faraize scrambles after her, calling what I assume is her name.

"Nelly!"

Moments later, the bell rings for class. Lysander gathers his things quickly and I wait for him like the great friend I am. The senior class is unusually small, so everyone has the exact same schedules, except for electives, I think. But the elective classes suck, so most everyone just goes to study hall. I use the free period as a smoke break.

I just follow Lysander to first period, which is English. The girl with the orange hair is the first person I see, and she's staring at Mr. Faraize with an expression as cold as ice. Her arms are crossed firmly against her chest, and she slouches in her seat. Mr. Faraize tries hard not to make eye contact with her, but she's made it difficult, placing herself in the front row. Usually, I'd rather die than sit in the front, but today is an exception. Lysander gives me a quizzical glance from under his silvery bangs as I throw my bag down on the table next to the girl's, but he follows my lead and takes the seat next to me.

"Just sit wherever you'd like, sit wherever you'd like," Mr. Faraize says as students file in. His voice sounds almost shaky. When everyone is inside, he shuts the door and turns to the class. He opens his mouth to speak when the door is suddenly thrust open. I roll my eyes as Kim Fredrick appears in the doorway. She leans against the frame of the door and smirks.

"Sorry I'm late," she drawls. "Got lost."

"Well, please sit down, and let's have this be the first and last time, alright?" Mr. Faraize reciprocates.

"Sure, whatever," Kim says, chewing loudly on a piece of gum. She plops down in the seat next to the new girl and offers her hand. "Kim Fredrick," she says, still smacking on her gum. The girl grins at Kim's greeting.

"Nelly Carter," she replies, taking Kim's hand and shaking it gladly. Hmm, okay. So she's only stuck up around Mr. Faraize.

As class begins, I realize that it would've been a lot smarter to ditch today. Mr. Faraize drones on and on and on about how because this is our senior year, we've got to make it count. It's the last year before we go off to college, blah, blah, blah. I zone out and amuse myself by counting the number of times he slides his Harry Potter glasses back up his nose.

_Fifteen…_

_Eighteen…_

_Twenty…_

"Castiel." Lysander's voice wakes me up. "Did you hear anything Mr. Faraize just said?"

"Nope," I answer proudly. "What're we doing?"

"Working with Kim and Nelly on an analysis of the ending of _Romeo and Juliet." _

"No thanks."

"Castiel…"

"No, I agree. Let's not do it," Nelly says from beside me. The sound of her voice surprises me, but not as much as the words that come out of her mouth.

"And what makes you think you can be all rebellious on your first day, huh?" I ask, turning to face her. I look into her eyes for several seconds, trying to decide if they're blue or green.

"Lay off, Cas," Kim says from Nelly's other side. "I agree with the little girl; I'm exhausted."

"It's only first period," Lysander chuckles.

"Exactly," Nelly responds with a wide grin. "And I am _not_ a morning person." She feigns a yawn and leans over on her desk. Lysander, Kim and I watch her pretend to sleep with what I'm sure are ridiculous expressions. This girl doesn't seem the slightest bit shy, and I can't decide if that makes her annoying or tolerable.

Mr. Faraize is quick to notice that our group is short a member.

"Nelly!" he says sharply, slapping his hand on her desk. "Get to work."

"Mmmm….sorry, Daddy," she coos, rearranging her position. "Imma little sleepy this morning."

_DADDY? _She _is _his daughter? Oh man, that's awkward. Mr. Faraize sighs and slides his glasses up his nose for the twenty-first time.

"We'll talk about this at home," he murmurs to the girl. Kim, Lysander and I watch him stroll to the other side of the room, and when his back is turned I punch Nelly's shoulder lightly.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Coast is clear." She opens her eyes without a hint of grogginess and sits up, glancing over at her father. Kim smirks at her and Nelly grins. It's amazing how quickly her personality changes depending on who she's with.

"Mr. Faraize is your daddy?" Kim asks. "Damn, little girl."

"My mom remarried to him over the summer," Nelly explains.

"And you weren't happy about that, I presume?" Lysander questions.

"Eh, it coulda been worse," Nelly shrugs. "But the idiot doesn't even play guitar. What kind of dad doesn't play guitar?"

"You play guitar?" I ask her, pleasantly surprised. She nods and smiles at me.

"Ever since I was four, yeah. My dad…" Lysander jabs my shoulder to get my attention and raises his eyebrows. I know what he's saying.

_If she's got her guitar, we can practice today._

Ugh, fine.

"Listen, Nelly, right? You wouldn't happen to have your guitar with you…?" I ask cautiously. Her face darkens, but she nods. "Do you think I could borrow it? Just for today?"

"No," she snaps, turning away to talk to Kim.

"Nelly, I know it's a lot to ask," Lysander begins, "but Castiel here forgot his guitar and we really need it for something we're doing after school. I give you my word that he won't break it." Nelly heaves and giant sigh and flips back around, pouting her lips.

"Aw, the bad boy forgot his guitar?" she teases. "You still can't have mine."

"What if we let you watch us play?" Lysander offers. NO!

"Lys…" I protest softly. But it's too late; Nelly's smile has returned.

"You guys have a band?" she asks.

"It's just us two," I tell her. "But I suppose you could call it that."

"Hmm." Nelly bites her lip and looks at the ceiling, considering Lysander's proposal. "So I can watch you play if I lend you my guitar?"

"Yes, that would be the deal," Lysander says.

"I'd do it if I were you," Kim chuckles into Nelly's ear. "You'd be the first to watch them play." This seems to sway Nelly's judgment, and she agrees. I feel like punching Lysander square in the jaw, but I settle for a scowl instead. The band is sacred! How dare he invite some redhead to come watch us?

"So, Castiel and Lysander, right?" Nelly confirms our names. "Wanna make sure I've got it right so I can fangirl all over you guys." I roll my eyes and bang my forehead on my desk.

"Spare me," I mumble. Lysander chuckles and tells me to get over myself. Little Miss Fangirl seems to find this statement amusing. Kim whispers something in Nelly's ear, and her eyes light up.

"Can Kim come, too?" she asks. "One girl for each of you!"

"If we say no, will you still let us use your guitar?" Lysander asks. This decision doesn't take quite as long.

"No," Nelly says decisively. "It's awkward to sit there and watch a band by yourself." Damnit, this girl drives a hard bargain. I glance at Lysander desperately, but he is unforgiving.

"I guess that would be alright."

Lysander's got it coming.

Kim grins and gives Nelly a high five.

"Maybe you're not so useless after all, little girl," she laughs.

"Aww…" Nelly holds her hand to her heart and pretends to tear up. "That's so sweet, thank you!" The girls crack up at their pathetic joke. I feel like Lysander has just signed my death warrant. This is how he wants me to spend my afternoon?

"Alright, class! Please choose someone from your group to present your analysis!" Mr. Faraize says, strolling back up to the front of the classroom. He looks down at our group of four. "Why don't we have this group go first." Reflexively, I look towards Lysander. It was _Romeo and Juliet, _right? Right up his alley. Lysander sighs, realizing that he's the only one halfway eligible to get up there.

"The ending of _Romeo and Juliet _is a tragic one, indeed," he begins. "Two lovers kill themselves, each believing that the other is dead. Their reasoning is simply that they cannot live without the other person. They kill themselves in the name of true love. But it almost feels selfish, in my opinion. When two people are in love, their partner's wish is their command. There is no doubt in my mind that if Juliet was really dead and Romeo was alive, she would have desired for him to live. Therefore, if Romeo really loved Juliet, he would have struggled on without her. Death was just an easy way to escape the pain." The class claps politely as Lysander returns to his seat. I don't know if I agree with his analysis, but I must admit it's pretty impressive that he came up with all of that on the spot. Nelly certainly looks impressed. Kim just looks bored.

"Thank you, Mr. Delian," Mr. Faraize says, addressing Lysander. "That was a very interesting interpretation. Now, who would like to go next?"

It turns out we have another new girl this year; Katherine Messina is her name. She seems to have found refuge with Nathaniel King and all of his idiot friends, so I doubt I'll see very much of her. Katherine's interpretation is that since Romeo and Juliet knew the other person was no longer in their life, they knew they would never be happy again. And what is the point, she asked, of living a life devoid of love? I don't know why I actually paid attention to what she said, though. Sitting in the front changes you, apparently. I'll have to make sure it never happens again.

Lysander and I sit by ourselves at lunch; no surprise there. The seniors run the school during lunch, meaning that we can pretty much go wherever we want to eat. Lysander and I agree on our bench out in the courtyard.

But we're not the only ones out here.

Sitting against the wire fence is Nelly and her new best friend, Kim. Nelly seems to have gotten her guitar, and she's strumming it slowly, slapping Kim's arm whenever she attempts to sing along. It's a beautiful acoustic guitar, not at all like my red electric, and I wonder how it'll sound with Lysander's new song. He's letting me read it now that I have something to play this afternoon.

It's good. Not great; it still needs a little work, but it's good. The minor chords are pretty tight.

When I'm done reading, I toss his notebook back to him and take a big bite out of my apple, watching the girl called Nelly play from across the lot.

"I can't believe you're letting them watch us," I grumble to Lysander. "That's really a new low. And on the first day, too."

"Maybe next time, you won't forget your guitar," Lysander responds, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. I snarl and toss my lunch bag into the trash can. Lysander and I sit in silence for several more minutes until the girls suddenly approach us.

"So, where should we meet you guys this afternoon?" Nelly asks bluntly, her guitar slung over her shoulder.

"Right here is fine," Lysander replies. Nelly notices that I won't make eye contact with her, so she tugs on a strand of red hair, forcing me to look up.

"I'll bet I can play better than you, hotshot," she challenges. Her confusing eyes twinkle mischievously.

"I wouldn't bet too much," I smirk. "But since you're here, I'm going to have to take that beauty on a little test drive." I reach for her shoulder strap and rip the guitar from her grasp, setting it comfortably against my knee.

"You break it and I'll kill you," Nelly threatens.

"I won't break it," I mumble, allowing myself a smile. "Here, this is my favorite chord." I arrange my fingers on the neck and strum in a downward motion. Damn, this guitar is nice.

"C minor?" Nelly asks skeptically. "Why do I get the feeling that that's only your favorite because your name starts with a C?"

"Because you have good instincts," I chuckle. "And this is my other favorite." I move my fingers slightly and strum again. A perfect C major. Nelly giggles and takes her guitar back, slinging the strap across her slim frame.

"Right here, after school?" she asks again. Lysander nods in her direction. "Cool. See you!" She and Kim run back to their spot near the fence and finish eating.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, did you get those tickets to the concert this weekend?" Lysander asks once the girls are gone. I grin and pull two tickets out from my back pocket.

"I can't believe you had to ask. But I'm keeping yours; you'll lose it," I laugh. Lysander grants me a tiny smile.

"Are you nervous?"

"Why should I be nervous?" Hell yeah, I'm nervous. Stars from Nightmares is pretty much the biggest amateur band out there right now, and Debrah's center stage. I have no way of knowing if she'll even remember me, let alone give me the time of day. I'm a nobody compared to her. I've got every reason in the world to be nervous. But Lys doesn't need to know that.

Lysander gives me a comforting pat on the shoulder and stands up as the bell rings for class. I sigh and shove the tickets back into my pocket

"Don't worry about it. She'll be happy to see you."

"If she _does_ see us," I remind him. Lysander shrugs and we head back inside for another three hours of magnificent school. Oh, joy. The first day of school. Someone just shoot me now.

"Hi, Cas! Miss me?" Please, please, _please _shoot me. Not kidding.

"No, Amber," I snarl at the girl behind me. I don't need to turn around to recognize her purposefully squeaky voice.

"Fine, then! Be that way!"

"I will, thank you for your permission," I say sarcastically. Why this bimbo's in love with me, I may never know.

"You're welcome," she huffs. I can hear her six-inch heels clanking on the pavement as she saunters away with her dumbass friends. My day is off to a _great _start.

It does brighten up a little bit when I catch sight of Lysander across the parking lot. He looks very relaxed, as per the usual, reclining on a bench and scribbling notes in his song book.

Lysander is pretty much the only person that can stand me, and he's just about the only person _I _can stand. He and his brother moved to Amoris about six months ago, and we met when I found his lost notebook. He didn't appreciate the fact that I had taken the liberty of thumbing through it, but when I did, I found that he was a songwriter. And a damn good one, at that. I asked him about his music, I told him about mine, and now I actually have someone to talk to at school. I had stopped playing guitar for a while until he persuaded me to pick it up again. Yes, he dresses like William Shakespeare's mother, but I've been trying this new thing where I don't insult people I like to the point of making them run away.

It's been more difficult than I anticipated.

Lysander looks up from his notebook and waves at me. I wave back, slam the door to my truck shut, and approach him.

"I trust you had a good summer, Castiel?" he asks, writing down a note in his book. He also _talks _like William Shakespeare's mother. But once you get used to it, it's not so bad.

"I was at your house for most of it," I remind him snidely. Lysander smiles to himself and keeps writing.

"Did you bring your guitar?" he asks. ….Damnit. How could I have forgotten?

"No, Demon was giving me hell this morning," I lie smoothly. "Completely forgot."

"Sure you did," says Lysander. By now he's grinning like an idiot. That's the other thing about him: he can see through anything.

"Don't be like that! This is what, the first time I've forgotten something?"

"Third," Lysander tells me. "There was one time you forgot to bring the amp, and another time you forgot your dog at my house and he ate the dress Leigh was making for Rosa." Oh, yeah…yeah that was bad. I actually felt bad about that. Demon also ate their pizza.

"Well, what about the time you forgot to finish that song, and the time you forgot to come over and were three hours late?" I counter. "Oh, and the time-"

"I will gladly admit that I have forgotten more things than you," Lysander agrees. "But I also believe that you forget more important things."

"Whatever," I grumble, crossing my arms over my chest and sitting down next to my friend. I peer over his shoulder at his writing. "Can I read that?" I ask him.

"No," he replies simply.

"Why?"

"Because you forgot your guitar."

"God, let it go!" I say, raising my voice to a low roar. Lysander, however, doesn't budge on his decision. Irritated, I shrug off my black leather jacket and stuff it into my bag, studying the student body activity as an alternative activity since Lysander refuses to talk to me. Sweet Amoris is so painfully _boring. _No one ever does anything at this school. Even now, on the first day, people are just wandering around aimlessly, minding their own business. There's not a single person who I haven't seen before; I recognize every single stupid face that passes by.

Five minutes before the bell, a little blue Cadillac pulls up in front of the school. Mr. Faraize, the English teacher, steps out of the driver's seat. Since everyone else is being boring and Mr. Faraize seems to be in a bad mood, I elect to watch him instead. Mr. Faraize leans back into the car like he's talking to someone. He looks stressed out for some reason, probably because he was almost late, and I'll bet the person in the passenger seat is the one who made him late. And sure enough, the passenger seat door opens suddenly, revealing, very surprisingly, a girl I've never seen before. A new girl. I didn't know Mr. Faraize had a daughter. And if he does, why is she only coming to school now? I'll have to investigate this.

The girl gets out of the car and quickly scans the outside of the school, a critical glare in her eyes. Her hair is a rare shade of orange, and it falls to her shoulders in loose, messy curls. Her skin is as white as paper. She must not have lived here for very long to have skin that white. Being in Florida, it's pretty safe to say that most everyone around here has a reasonably decent tan, myself included.

Mr. Faraize tries to say something to the girl, but she turns away without giving him the chance. She marches straight past Lysander and I and into the school without stopping for anyyone. People stare at her as she goes by, curious looks in their eyes. She _is_ the new girl, though, and Sweet Amoris isn't very big. Stares are to be expected. Poor, flustered Mr. Faraize scrambles after her, calling what I assume is her name.

"Nelly!"

Moments later, the bell rings for class. Lysander gathers his things quickly and I wait for him like the great friend I am. The senior class is unusually small, so everyone has the exact same schedules, except for electives, I think. But the elective classes suck, so most everyone just goes to study hall. I use the free period as a smoke break.

I just follow Lysander to first period, which is English. The girl with the orange hair is the first person I see, and she's staring at Mr. Faraize with an expression as cold as ice. Her arms are crossed firmly against her chest, and she slouches in her seat. Mr. Faraize tries hard not to make eye contact with her, but she's made it difficult, placing herself in the front row. Usually, I'd rather die than sit in the front, but today is an exception. Lysander gives me a quizzical glance from under his silvery bangs as I throw my bag down on the table next to the girl's, but he follows my lead and takes the seat next to me.

"Just sit wherever you'd like, sit wherever you'd like," Mr. Faraize says as students file in. His voice sounds almost shaky. When everyone is inside, he shuts the door and turns to the class. He opens his mouth to speak when the door is suddenly thrust open again. I roll my eyes as Kim Fredrick appears in the doorway. She leans against the frame of the door and smirks.

"Sorry I'm late," she drawls. "Got lost."

"Well, please sit down, and let's have this be the first and last time, alright?" Mr. Faraize reciprocates.

"Sure, whatever," Kim says, chewing loudly on a piece of gum. She plops down in the other seat next to the new girl and offers her hand. "Kim Fredrick," she says, still smacking on her gum. The girl grins at Kim's greeting.

"Nelly Carter," she replies, taking Kim's hand and shaking it gladly. Hmm, okay. So she's only stuck up around Mr. Faraize.

As class begins, I realize that it would've been a lot smarter to ditch today. Mr. Faraize drones on and on and on about how because this is our senior year, we've got to make it count. It's the last year before we go off to college, blah, blah, blah. I zone out and amuse myself by counting the number of times he slides his Harry Potter glasses back up his nose.

_Fifteen…_

_Eighteen…_

_Twenty…_

"Castiel." Lysander's voice wakes me up. "Did you hear anything Mr. Faraize just said?"

"Nope," I answer proudly. "What're we doing?"

"Working with Kim and Nelly on an analysis of the ending of _Romeo and Juliet." _

"No thanks."

"Castiel…"

"No, I agree. Let's not do it," Nelly says from beside me. The sound of her voice surprises me, but not as much as the words that come out of her mouth.

"And what makes you think you can be all rebellious on your first day, huh?" I ask, turning to face her. I look into her eyes for several seconds, trying to decide if they're blue or green.

"Lay off, Cas," Kim says from Nelly's other side. "I agree with the little girl; I'm exhausted."

"It's only first period," Lysander chuckles.

"Exactly," Nelly responds with a wide grin. "And I am _not_ a morning person." She feigns a yawn and leans over on her desk. Lysander, Kim and I watch her pretend to sleep with what I'm sure are ridiculous expressions. This girl doesn't seem the slightest bit shy, and I can't decide if that makes her annoying or tolerable.

Mr. Faraize is quick to notice that our group is short a member.

"Nelly!" he says sharply, slapping his hand on her desk. "Get to work."

"Mmmm….sorry, Daddy," she coos, rearranging her position. "Imma little sleepy this morning."

_DADDY? _She _is _his daughter? Oh man, that's awkward. Mr. Faraize sighs and slides his glasses up his nose for the twenty-first time.

"We'll talk about this at home," he murmurs to the girl. Kim, Lysander and I watch him stroll to the other side of the room, and when his back is turned I punch Nelly's shoulder lightly.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty. Coast is clear." She opens her eyes without a hint of grogginess and sits up, glancing over at her father. Kim smirks at her and Nelly grins. It's amazing how quickly her personality changes depending on who she's with.

"Mr. Faraize is your daddy?" Kim asks. "Damn, little girl."

"My mom remarried to him over the summer," Nelly explains.

"And you weren't happy about that, I presume?" Lysander questions.

"Eh, it coulda been worse," Nelly shrugs. "But the idiot doesn't even play guitar. What kind of dad doesn't play guitar?"

"Uh, my dad," Kim laughs.

"You play guitar?" I ask Nelly, pleasantly surprised. She nods and smiles at me.

"Ever since I was four, yeah. My dad…" Lysander jabs my shoulder to get my attention and raises his eyebrows. I know what he's saying.

_If she's got her guitar, we can practice today._

Ugh, fine.

"Listen, Nelly, right? You wouldn't happen to have your guitar with you…?" I ask cautiously. Her face darkens, but she nods. "Do you think I could borrow it? Just for today?"

"No," she snaps, turning away to talk to Kim.

"Nelly, I know it's a lot to ask," Lysander begins, "but Castiel here forgot his guitar and we really need it for something we're doing after school. I give you my word that he won't break it." Nelly heaves and giant sigh and flips back around, pouting her lips.

"Aw, the bad boy forgot his guitar?" she teases. "You still can't have mine."

"What if we let you watch us play?" Lysander offers. NO!

"Lys…" I protest softly. But it's too late; Nelly's smile has returned.

"You guys have a band?" she asks.

"It's just us two," I tell her. "But I suppose you could call it that."

"Hmm." Nelly bites her lip and looks at the ceiling, considering Lysander's proposal. "So I can watch you play if I lend you my guitar?"

"Yes, that would be the deal," Lysander says.

"I'd do it if I were you," Kim chuckles into Nelly's ear. "You'd be the first to watch them play." This seems to sway Nelly's judgment, and she agrees. I feel like punching Lysander square in the jaw, but I settle for a scowl instead. The band is sacred! How dare he invite some redhead to come watch us?

"So, Castiel and Lysander, right?" Nelly confirms our names. "Wanna make sure I've got it right so I can fangirl all over you guys." I roll my eyes and bang my forehead on my desk.

"Spare me," I mumble. Lysander chuckles and tells me to get over myself. Little Miss Fangirl seems to find this statement amusing. Kim whispers something in Nelly's ear, and her eyes light up as if she's been hit with some revolutionary new idea. She probably has.

"Can Kim come, too?" she asks. "One girl for each of you!"

"If we say no, will you still let us use your guitar?" Lysander asks. This decision doesn't take quite as long.

"No," Nelly says quickly. "It's awkward to sit there and watch a band by yourself." Damnit, this girl drives a hard bargain. I glance at Lysander desperately, but he is unforgiving.

"I guess that would be alright."

Lysander's got it coming. I'm gonna kill him.

Kim grins and gives Nelly a high five.

"Maybe you're not so useless after all, little girl," she laughs.

"Aww…" Nelly holds her hand to her heart and pretends to tear up. "That's so sweet, thank you!" The girls crack up at their pathetic joke. I feel like Lysander has just signed my death warrant. This is how he wants me to spend my afternoon?

"Alright, class! Please choose someone from your group to present your analysis!" Mr. Faraize says, strolling back up to the front of the classroom. He looks down at our group of four. "Why don't we have this group go first." Reflexively, I look towards Lysander. It was _Romeo and Juliet, _right? Right up his alley. Lysander sighs and stands, realizing that he's the only one who's even halfway eligible to get up there.

"The ending of _Romeo and Juliet _is a tragic one," he begins. "Two lovers kill themselves, each believing that the other is dead. Their reasoning is simply that they cannot live without the other person. They kill themselves in the name of true love. But it almost feels selfish, in my opinion. When two people are in love, their partner's wish is their command. There is no doubt in my mind that if Juliet was really dead and Romeo was alive, she would have desired for him to live. Therefore, if Romeo really loved Juliet, he would have struggled on without her. Death was just an easy way to escape the pain." The class claps politely as Lysander returns to his seat. I don't know if I agree with his analysis, but I must admit it's pretty impressive that he came up with all of that on the spot. Nelly certainly looks impressed. Kim just looks bored.

"Thank you, Mr. Delian," Mr. Faraize says, addressing Lysander. "That was a very interesting interpretation. Now, who would like to go next?"

It turns out we have another new girl this year; Katherine Messina is her name. She seems to have found refuge with Nathaniel King and all of his idiot friends, so I doubt I'll see very much of her. Katherine's interpretation is that since Romeo and Juliet knew the other person was no longer in their life, they knew they would never be happy again. And what is the point, she asked, of living a life devoid of love? I don't know why I actually paid attention to what she said, though. Sitting in the front changes you. I'll have to make sure it never happens again.

Lysander and I sit by ourselves at lunch; no surprise there. The seniors run the school during lunch, meaning that we can pretty much go wherever we want to eat, so Lysander and I agree on our bench out in the courtyard.

But we're not the only ones out here.

Sitting against the wire fence is Nelly and her new best friend, Kim. Nelly seems to have gotten her guitar, and she's strumming it slowly, slapping Kim's arm whenever she attempts to sing along. It's a beautiful acoustic guitar, not at all like my red electric, and I wonder how it'll sound with Lysander's new song. He's letting me read it now that I have something to play this afternoon.

It's good. Not great; it still needs a little work, but it's good. The minor chords are pretty tight.

When I'm done reading, I toss his notebook back to him and take a big bite out of my apple, watching the girl called Nelly play from across the lot.

"I can't believe you're letting them watch us," I grumble to Lysander. "That's really a new low. And on the first day, too."

"Maybe next time, you won't forget your guitar," Lysander responds, a smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. I snarl and toss my lunch bag into the trash can. Lysander and I sit in silence for several more minutes until the girls suddenly approach us.

"So, where should we meet you guys this afternoon?" Nelly asks bluntly, her guitar slung over her shoulder.

"Right here is fine," Lysander replies. Nelly notices that I won't make eye contact with her, so she tugs on a strand of my red hair, forcing me to look up.

"I'll bet I can play better than you, hotshot," she challenges. Her confusing eyes twinkle mischievously. I will never be able to decide on their color.

"I wouldn't bet too much," I smirk. "But since you're here, I'm going to have to take that beauty on a little test drive." I reach for her shoulder strap and rip the guitar from her grasp, setting it comfortably against my knee.

"You break it and I'll kill you," Nelly threatens.

"I won't break it," I mumble, allowing myself a smile. "Here, this is my favorite chord." I arrange my fingers on the neck and strum in a downward motion. Damn, this guitar is nice.

"C minor?" Nelly asks skeptically. "Why do I get the feeling that that's only your favorite because your name starts with a C?"

"Because you have good instincts," I chuckle. "And this is my other favorite." I move my fingers slightly and strum again. A perfect C major. Nelly giggles and takes her guitar back, slinging the strap across her slim frame.

"Right here, after school?" she asks again. Lysander nods in her direction. "Cool. See you!" She and Kim run back to their spot near the fence and finish eating.

"Hey, I forgot to ask, did you get those tickets to the concert this weekend?" Lysander asks once the girls are gone. I grin and pull two tickets out from my back pocket.

"I can't believe you had to ask. But I'm keeping yours; you'll lose it," I laugh. Lysander grants me a tiny smile.

"Are you nervous?"

"Why should I be nervous?" Hell yeah, I'm nervous. Stars from Nightmares is pretty much the biggest amateur band out there right now, and Deborah's center stage. I have no way of knowing if she'll even remember me, let alone give me the time of day. I'm a nobody compared to her. I've got every reason in the world to be nervous. But Lys doesn't need to know that.

Lysander gives me a comforting pat on the shoulder and stands up as the bell rings for class. I sigh and shove the tickets back into my pocket

"Don't worry about it. She'll be happy to see you."

"If she _does_ see us," I remind him. Lysander shrugs and we head back inside for another three hours of magnificent school.


	3. The Breakdown

**NELLY CARTER**

I saw in a movie once that if you make a friend on your first day in a new school, then you're doing okay. Well, I've made three friends, so I must be doing fantastic. Some people wouldn't go so far as to call Lysander and Castiel friends just yet, but I think we will be soon enough, so there's really no point in waiting to make the term official. And Kim is definitely my friend. She's just great.

As soon as school lets out, Kim and I run down the hall and out to the courtyard, aiming to get safely out of the school before my good-for-nothing stepdad sees us. I didn't bother to tell him that I was staying after; I don't feel like he deserves to know.

Honestly, I feel a little bit bad for the guy. It must be hard having your stepdaughter hate you so much, and then having to teach her about Shakespeare for an hour and a half every other day. But he asked for it. I'm sure Mom told him about how much my dad meant to me, but Simon Faraize didn't see any problem in barging into my life anyways. I may warm up to him eventually, I suppose, but certainly not any time soon.

When we get to the bench, Lysander and Castiel aren't here yet, so we hide behind the bushes. Might as well have a little fun.

"There they are!" Kim whispers, pointing towards the door at Lysander and Castiel. They look confused when they don't see us waiting for them. I'll bet they took their own sweet time in getting here. But nevertheless, they slowly make their way to the bench and sit down.

"I wonder where they are," Lysander muses aloud.

"Probably decided to ditch us," Castiel grumbles. "Stupid girls." Kim bristles at my side, and motions for me to follow her. She slides out from behind the bushes stealthily, without making a sound, and I follow her lead. When we make it to a standing position, Kim decides to make herself known.

"Hey, boys," she says, putting a hand on her hip and smirking. Shocked, Castiel and Lysander whip around to stare at us.

"When the hell did you get here?" Castiel barks.

"What are you talking about, Cas?" I ask innocently, trying out the nickname I've heard around school. "We've been here the whole time."

"You might want to get your eyes checked, buddy," Kim says, leaning into Castiel and searching his stormy gray eyes. "You too, Lys," she adds, glancing over at his friend. Castiel rolls his eyes and tugs on Lysander's sleeve, pulling him to a standing position.

"You got your guitar?" he asks me.

"No, I've just got a backpack _shaped_ like a guitar," I reply, my voice lined with sarcasm. "Yes, I have it. I'm not stupid."

"You sure about that, ginger?" he says in a mocking tone, taking a step in my direction.

"Who you calling ginger? Your hair's redder than mine," I snort, flicking a strand of his hair behind his shoulder playfully. He grins and shakes his head, exasperated.

"Can we just go?" Kim asks. "I have to be home by six."

"Yeah, let's," I agree. "But can you all, like, walk in a circle around me? I don't want Simon to see me or else he won't let me go."

"Simon?" Lysander asks quizzically.

"Oh, sorry, Mr. Faraize." I mentally slap myself in the face. What was I thinking? They don't know who the heck Simon is!

"You're scared of that airhead?" Castiel chuckles.

"No, I just really don't want to deal with him right now, that's all," I defend myself, crossing my arms over my chest defiantly. "Can we please go, now?" In response, the boys start heading back inside the school and Kim pulls me after them by my hair. They seem to have forgotten the circle formation strategy already, and the second we enter the school I realize how important it was.

"Nelly! There you are! Come on, it's time to go home," Simon says, putting on his coat and walking out of his classroom. His voice surprises me, and I jump.

"No thanks, I'm actually staying after today," I say as confidently as I can manage.

"After the way you behaved today? Sorry, honey, you're coming home." He reaches out to grab my hand, but I jerk it away.

"No, I'm not! I'm staying after with my friends!" Simon does a quick scan of the people I've elected to hang out with and shakes his head in dismay.

"_These_ are your friends?" That's right, these are my friends. Kim, the army brat who's always late to class, Castiel, the smoker with a skull on his t-shirt, and Lysander, the guy who likes to wear costumes to school. Yep, I've got quite the gang.

"You got a problem with that?" I retort. Simon sighs heavily and slides his glasses up his nose.

"You know what, fine, Nelly. But don't expect me or your mother to come drive you home."

"I wanted to drive myself this morning, but you wouldn't let me!" I shout after him, but he's already stalking down the hall, his lopsided gait even more rushed than usual.

"And I thought my family was weird," Kim comments. I smirk in her general direction and pivot around to face my friends.

"I'm going to need a ride," I tell them. Lysander and Castiel exchange glances, and Kim smiles apologetically.

"Sorry, little girl. I'm on a tight schedule," she says. "Maybe next time." I look to Castiel and Lysander expectantly, and finally Castiel growls and snatches my bag from me, slinging it over his shoulder alongside his.

"I'll do it. You don't want Lysander driving you."

"Oh, well, thanks," I say, rolling my shoulder in the absence of the extra weight. "Where are we supposed to go?"

"We have a little room back behind the staircase," Lysander explains. "Castiel stole a master key from the principal so we can get in. No one ever uses it."

"You little devils," Kim teases. Lysander rewards her wit with a tiny smile, but Castiel just rolls his eyes, as seems to be his response for just about everything.

When we get to the staircase, Castiel ducks behind it, and I can hear him turn a key in a lock before swinging open a door. The room behind it is obviously abandoned, and it's pretty much covered in a fine layer of dust. Kim and I file in after Castiel, and Lysander leaves the door open, saying that the room needs to be aired out after a summer of disuse.

The room is empty save for a teacher's desk in the corner, and a stack of plastic gray chairs. Lysander pulls two down for us and sets them against the wall, and Castiel holds out his hand for my guitar. Reluctantly, I take it off and unzip the case. He picks it up and starts turning the knobs without my permission, tuning it.

"Hey! It's fine!"

"No, it's not." He adjusts one little knob at the top and strums. "There we go."

"You're a jerk," I mumble, plopping down next to Kim.

"I do try," Castiel responds with a smirk. Lysander is sitting on the teacher desk, thumbing through an old leather bound notebook.

"There's not a whole lot we can really do without the electric," he's telling Castiel, "but we've got a couple acoustic pieces in here."

"Well, which one are we doing?" Castiel asks, coming up beside Lysander and looking over his shoulder. Lysander mumbles a few titles, and Castiel shakes his head to each one. Finally, Lysander gets frustrated.

"Alright. We're doing this one," he says, pointing to something in his book. Castiel starts to protest, but Lysander holds up his hand to silence him.

"You forgot your guitar. I get to pick the song."

"I've got a guitar!" Castiel strums his two favorite chords to prove it.

"No, you've got _her _guitar," Lysander corrects him, gesturing towards me. "And we're doing this one. Play me in."

"You suck," Castiel grumbles, but he starts playing anyways. It's a slow song; that must be why he doesn't like it.

It turns out Lysander can sing pretty damn well. His voice sounds like melted chocolate, especially on this song, but my eyes are glued to Castiel's fingers, watching how they deftly move across the guitar. He strums it like it's his most prized possession, and I can't help but wonder if he's only doing that because it's mine, or if he's always played like that.

Anyways, the song is beautiful. Very slow, but beautiful. When the last note fades away, Kim and I clap enthusiastically.

"Would you like us to fangirl now?" Kim questions, a certain sparkle in her eye.

"No, that won't be necessary," Lysander replies.

"Well, can I anyways? I've always wanted to." Lysander and Castiel look to each other uncomfortably. I don't think they thought she was serious. To be perfectly honest, I didn't either. But it sounds like it'd be pretty funny to me.

"Knock yourself out, Kim," I say, grinning directly at a scowling Castiel. Kim apparently thinks my permission is warranted, so she throws her hands in the air and shrieks at the top of her lungs.

"I LOVE YOU! C'mon, Nelly, I'm not gonna be stupid all by myself! I LOVE YOU!" The boys' expressions are priceless, and I laugh so hard I almost start crying. I love these people. I love them so much, and I've only known them for a day. Kim jumps out of her seat and starts dancing around like maniac.

Lysander and Castiel stare at Kim, their eyes practically popping out of their heads. Kim begs me to join her, but I'm laughing too hard to even try. When she finally wears out her voice, she sits back and pretends to wipe sweat away from her forehead.

"That's hard work," she remarks, back to her old self in the blink of an eye. "How do those Justin Bieber fans do it?"

"Let's just say none of them have gym memberships," I giggle. Kim nods in agreement and sits back down beside me with an over dramatic sigh.

"So, boys, what else do you have for us?" she asks. Lysander and Castiel are still too shocked to move, let alone play. I don't blame them; that whole display was a little on the freaky side. Kim claps her hands loudly to bring them back to the real world. "Yo, boys!"

"Um, well, we mostly have to write," Lysander says, coming back to reality. "We don't have very many songs we can play with an acoustic that'll sound right."

"So we're just gonna sit here and watch you write?" I ask incredulously. "Until five thirty?" I check the clock on the wall, finding that we've still got an hour to go.

"We said you could watch us play. You watched us play," Castiel reasons. "So you can either sit there and be quiet, or go outside and we'll get you when we're done."

"Alright, little girl. Let's bounce." Kim pulls my hair and stands up.

"Wait! I don't trust him with my guitar!" I protest.

"Nelly, I gave you my word that he wouldn't break it, remember?" Lysander reminds me. "And if he does, he will personally buy you a new one."

"Oh, he will, huh?" Castiel sneers. Lysander gives him a pointed glare, and he shuts up. "Yeah, don't worry, _little girl," _he mutters.I stick my tongue out at him as Kim drags me outside.

No sooner has the door closed behind us than we're ambushed by a sultry blond and her two sidekicks, all sporting six inch heels that could snap your ankle if you move the wrong way. I recognize them, so they must be seniors, but I don't know their names.

"What are you doing in there?" the blonde hisses, backing me up against the wall. She doesn't seem to take any notice of Kim.

"Watching the boys play?" I squeak. The blonde's face turns an ugly shade of red.

"You mean _Castiel?"_ she interrogates, narrowing her eyes. "Why did he let _you _watch them? What makes you think _you're_ good enough for _him?_ Why would he choose _you_ over _me?"_

"Look, I'm sorry, blondie," I say, holding my hands up as a gesture of surrender. "I don't know who the hell you are or why you're obsessed with Castiel, but I most certainly have no interest in dating him, so don't worry." This seems to relax her.

"Okay, then. Carry on. But," she warns, "stay away from him." I almost back away and go with Kim to the courtyard, but then I remember the promise I made myself. _I will not submit to anyone. _I turn on my heels and march back up to the blonde.

"Look," I snap, "I told you I don't have any interest in Castiel, and that is true, but I'm telling you right now that if I did, losers like you couldn't stop me! You don't get to decide what I do; that's up to me! So _stay out of my way."_ Satisfied with myself, I retreat back to Kim, who was just standing in the middle of the hallway for the entire scene.

"That was seriously epic," she tells me. "I've never seen anyone tell Amber off before besides Castiel."

"Amber? That's her name?"

"Yep. And the other girls were Li and Charlotte. They're like…her minions." I glance back at Amber and her friends, who have their ears pressed up against the door behind the stairs.

"Does she like, stalk Castiel or something?" I laugh.

"Amber's absolutely in love with him. Nobody really knows why, especially since he doesn't give her the time of day. His girlfriend left school towards the end of last year."

"His girlfriend?" I can't picture Castiel with a girlfriend. He just seems so…rough around the edges, too cool for school, and seemingly above petty things like stolen kisses and promise rings.

"Yeah. She was into music too, I think. Really nice girl. But she got a record deal and had to leave school, so she broke up with him. She's actually in that band I was telling you about earlier. Lead singer, I think. She was a pretty good friend of mine, but we haven't talked since she entered the glamorous world of celebrities."

"Had they been together long?"

"Oh, yeah. I wanna say since sophomore year. They were disgusting too, always making out in the halls…" Kim shudders at the memory. _I _shudder at the _image_. I don't know Castiel very well, but he doesn't really seem like _that _type. Kim says I'd be surprised at what he does when someone gets under his skin.

We make it outside just in time to see the sunset. Sunsets in Florida are beautiful, I'll give the state that much. The rest of it could just go away and I wouldn't care. But I might actually be a little bit sad if the sunsets were to go away. Kim settles down on the grass and stares up at the sky. I sit down next to her, but don't lie down all the way. Grass makes my scalp itchy.

"So, Mr. Faraize, huh?" Kim chuckles. I scowl at the thought of him.

"Yes…" I sigh. "My mom and him met in Chicago, where we used to live. Love at first sight."

"Ouch," Kim winces. "You had to move from Chicago?"

"I didn't mind that as much. I couldn't care less where I live. I just don't like Simon. He just thinks he can barge into my life and marry my mom, and then he expects me to call him Dad."

"If you don't mind my asking, what happened to…to your real dad?" The familiar scene enters my head again, the hitting, the tears, the yelling, the scared little girl hiding in the corner. Tears start to form behind my eyes, but I blink them away. I can't be submissive to my emotions, either, I'm realizing.

"No offense Kim, but I don't really know you well enough to-"

"No, it's cool. I get it."

"Thanks. So where are you going tonight?"

"Sorry, Nel," she says, "But I don't really know you well enough, either."

"Fair enough," I chuckle. I tear at the grass absentmindedly, peeling apart the individual blades. "So, Kim," I say, "you wanna break down the senior class for me?"

"Hmmm, alright," Kim agrees, sitting back up. She tears a fistful of grass from the ground and piles the blades on the pavement, arranging them into little groups. When she's done, she waves me over and points to two blades of grass, set apart from the rest.

"Castiel and Lysander," she says. "Absolutely inseparable. Castiel lives by himself, and Lysander lives with his older brother Leigh. Leigh owns a store in town, but I don't shop there very often. Leigh is also dating Rosalya…" Kim places another blade of grass next to the two. "She's alright, but she's kind of a stalker. She takes pictures of guys when she's bored, and she doesn't have too many friends. But she and Lysander get along. Now over here…" she points to a group of three, "is Nathaniel, our beloved student body president, Melody, who's a delegate, and Iris, who's like, really annoying and perky. I'd avoid them at all costs unless you want to be morphed into a goody-goody. And from what I saw today…that new girl Katherine or whatever her name is has joined them."

"What about them?" I ask, pointing to another group of three. There's a fourth, but it's kind of off to the side.

"Oh, that's Amber, Li, and Charlotte," Kim explains. "And over here is Capucine. They're all super girly and annoying, and Capucine has been trying to break into their group for centuries. It's not working. This is Armin, Alexy, and Violette," she says, pointing to another group. "Alexy's as queer as a seven dollar bill, but he's nice enough if you don't mind being hugged to death all the time. He and Armin are twins. I actually like Armin; he's a gamer. Now, Violette is hopelessly shy, but she's really sweet. The boys treat her like their pet kitten. It's adorable."

"And who are these?" I point to two blades of grass that have been stuck far outside the circle.

"This one is Peggy," Kim says, pointing to one of the outsiders. "She's always up in everybody's business trying to make people look bad, so nobody likes her. And this one," she moves her finger to the other blade, "is me."

"You're not in a group?"

"If I was, would I be hanging out with you?" she snaps in reply.

"Oh, I'm sorry."

"Eh, it's alright. Outsider by choice!" she declares, punching the air with her fist. Okay, if it makes her feel better.

"Where do I fit in?" I ask, examining the tight knit circle that represents Sweet Amoris High. Kim plucks another blade of grass and moves her hand around, unsure of where to put it. Finally, she settles on placing it right in the middle of everyone.

"I guess you get to choose," she tells me. "Just do me a favor and stay away from the Kings. Nathaniel and Amber, I mean."

"They're twins?"

"Nah. Amber got held back a year." I don't know why, but I find this extremely funny. Blondie isn't as perfect as she thinks she is, huh? That's classic.

Kim and I hang out for another forty-five minutes waiting for Castiel and Lysander to come back out. When they finally do, Kim waves goodbye and rushes off to her car; a beat up Jeep.

"Ready to go, princess?" Castiel snickers, handing me my guitar in its case. I glance up at Lysander.

"He didn't break it," he promises. I notice for the first time that Lysander's eyes aren't the same color. Wonders never cease at this school.

"Oh my God," Castiel grumbles. "You really _are_ a princess, aren't you? C'mon." He grabs my wrist and drags me to his car. His hands aren't nearly as gentle with me as they were with my guitar.

**Hope you like it so far! Don't forget to review and tell me what you think :)**

**~Ava**


	4. The First Offense

**CASTIEL MASON**

"I like your car," Nelly says, climbing into the passenger seat of my truck. She tosses her backpack on the floor, but holds her precious guitar carefully wedged between her knees. I've never seen someone so obsessed with their instrument.

"Thanks," I mutter, climbing in beside her. I pull my smartphone out of my pocket and hand it to her before rolling the windows down to get some air in here. "Plug in your address." She does as I say and hands me my phone back. Aurora Avenue. How sweet. I start up the engine and start driving. It seems rude to just sit here and say nothing, so I wrack my brain for something to ask her about.

"How do you like school?" _Really, Castiel? Is that the only thing you can think of?_

"School's school," she shrugs. "It isn't awful, it isn't great, it just...is."

"You ever play hooky?" I ask, actually curious. I wouldn't be surprised, judging by the way she acted in class today. She laughs and taps her guitar case.

"Yeah, actually. I used to go out with my old boyfriend Evan during the school day."

"Your_ old_ boyfriend?" This I gotta hear.

"I dumped his sorry ass a _long_ time ago," she says with a cruel laugh. "Everything was great until I found out that his older brother had offered to give him five hundred bucks if he got me knocked up."

"Uh, TMI."

"Sorry, you're right. What about you, though? Everyone has a tragic love story, right?" I sigh and readjust my hands on the wheel.

"Not me," I lie.

"Oh." She actually has the nerve to sound disappointed. "Well..." she hesitates, "I hope you never do." She must be tired, because she's not snapping at me like she was earlier. Maybe it's just because I don't have her guitar anymore. But since I lied, I can't bring myself to say thanks. After a few more minutes of silence, she brings up Amber. Now it's my turn to laugh.

"What do you wanna know about that idiot?"

"Well, for starters, why does she stalk you?"

"She stalks me?"

"Uh-huh. When Kim and I left her and her friends were listening in on you guys. She also told me to stay away from you..." Well, then. That's slightly creepy. I'll have to have a serious talk with Amber tomorrow.

"Madly in love already, are we?" I tease Nelly.

"Right. Keep telling yourself that, hotshot."

"Oh, I will, _princess._ Pretty soon you won't be able to hide it."

"Shut up. And I thought it was ginger?"

"Nah, princess suits you."

"I will take that as a compliment."

"Whatever makes you feel better." We tease each other back and forth until she stops me in front of her house.

"Stop! This is it!" A woman with the same orange hair as Nelly is sitting out on the front porch steps of a quaint white farmhouse, looking down the street anxiously. When she sees her daughter in my car, her face lights up.

"Nelly!" she shouts, standing up and running to the car window. "Honey, I was so worried! Simon said you wouldn't come home with him! Where were you?"

"With _him,"_ Nelly says shortly, opening the car door and thrusting her backpack into her mother's arms. She slides out with her guitar on her back. Nelly's mom looks up at me and gawks, taking in my chain necklace and my dyed red hair. I have to give her some credit, though; at least she tries to be polite and non-judgmental.

"A-and who is this, honey?"

"This is Castiel," Nelly answers, giving me a flirtatious wave. "Isn't he gorgeous, Mamma?" Ah, I see what she's doing. Revenge on the mother for marrying the nerd. Well, I can play along, especially since I'd probably do the same thing in her shoes.

"See you tomorrow, babe," I say, reaching across the car to pull the door shut. "Don't miss me too much."

"I'll try not to," she giggles, blowing me a kiss. "Bye!" I smirk and pull away, leaning to my left to see what happens in the rear view mirror. Nelly's mom stares after my car in horrified shock as Nelly prances inside, obviously very pleased with herself. I imagine there will be a lot to talk about at their dinner table tonight.

Meanwhile, there will be absolutely nothing to talk about at mine.

I take my time driving home, and when I pull into the garage, it seems even quieter than usual, probably because I had someone to talk to a few minutes ago. And now it's just me. I fumble with the keys in the dark, eventually finding the one that unlocks the garage door. As soon as I walk in, Demon starts barking like mad.

"I'm coming, boy!" I holler. I don't know why I talk to my dog like he's a person; it never works. He just keeps barking.

I have to keep Demon in the basement all day, otherwise he'll destroy the house. Dad's orders. If he decided to come home one weekend and saw so much as a snag in the carpet, I'd be dead and Demon would be gone. The only reason they let me keep him in the first place is because otherwise I'd be completely alone in this monster of a house, and then_ I'd_ destroy it. My dad isn't near as bitchy as my mom is, but I'd like to stay on his good side for as long as possible.

It's not so bad I guess, living on my own. Shopping for groceries is a pain, but otherwise I don't really care. Or, that's what I tell myself. Truth is, my parents pretty much abandoned me as soon as I could drive; and they made me get my driver's permit as early as possible. They call once a week to make sure I'm not dead, but otherwise I never hear from them. Most of the time they forget to call, though. When they _do_ come home, which is _maybe_ once every six months for a weekend here and there, Mom spends most of her time catching up with her socialite friends over glasses of wine, and Dad plays poker in between mugs of beer. It's a charmed life, that's for sure.

The second I open the basement door, Demon attacks, knocking me to the ground, jumping excitedly and licking my face.

"Hey, buddy," I say in an uncharacteristically high voice reserved especially for my dog. "I know, I know, I'm glad to see you too. Okay, let's let Castiel up now. Okay, thank you. Good boy!" Demon races over to the door that leads into the backyard, and I let him out to do his business. When he comes back in, he's still excited to see me. I'm guessing it's because this was the first day all summer I haven't been with him the entire day. I take him everywhere with me during the summer, even Lysander's. I allow myself to smile again at the memory of Lysander calling me to say that Demon had destroyed Rosalya's new dress. As upset as Leigh was, it was probably the highlight of my summer, because I spent the rest of it chasing Demon around the beach and working out as a recreational activity to minimize the amount of time spent busting out my eardrums with my electric guitar. The good thing about is now I've got enough muscle to beat up idiots like Nathaniel King.

He's such a stupid dog, Demon. But he's probably the only thing in the world besides my guitar that I can say I love without a doubt. Everything else in life is expendable.

I toss Demon his bat chew toy and go upstairs to my room to change into something more comfortable and try some of Lysander's new chords on my electric. I absolutely love my electric, don't get me wrong, but somehow I almost like the intimate sound of Nelly's acoustic better. That was a_ great_ sounding guitar. It's really no wonder why she loves it so much.

While I'm changing, the tickets to the Stars from Nightmares concert fall out of my pocket. I finish pulling on my sweats and just stare at them on the floor, pulling the front strands of my hair back in a half-ponytail. Those stupid tickets are so frickin' important, and yet I'm resisting an inexplicable urge to throw them away.

It's because I'm scared, I realize. I'm scared to face _her._ It's my stupid ego, too. When she and her..._our _friends got that record deal that didn't include me, I was tossed to the backseat. Now she's on a whole new level.

"Sorry, Cas," she had said, "but it's either you or my dream." Apparently, I wasn't very high on her list of dreams, which _sucked,_ because she was high on mine.

And there I go, getting all sentimental. This has to stop happening. It just has to. I kick the tickets under my bed and grab my guitar. After turning the amp all the way up, I come down hard on the strings, striking a chord that causes my ears to ring and Demon to go nuts downstairs. It also causes me to snap a string.

"Damnit," I mutter under my breath. Maybe Nelly had a point, being nervous about me. I don't have any more spending money, either. I spent all that on the stupid tickets. Irritated beyond belief, I call up Lysander.

"Hello?"

"Lys, can I borrow forty bucks?"

"Why?"

"Snapped my strings."

"Are you serious?"

"No, I'm calling because I miss you! Yes, I'm serious!"

"Cas, I'm not sure if I have forty bucks on me..."

"Well, what am I supposed to do, then? I can't play with five strings!"

"Why don't you ask that girl? She might have some you can borrow."

"I don't have her number and her mom already hates me. I can't just walk up to her house." Lysander pauses before asking his next question.

"What did you do, Castiel?"

"We just put on a little charade. Innocent fun. But the bottom line is, I'm not exactly welcome there."

"Hmm..." Lysander considers my predicament. He knows I'll go crazy if I can't play. "Are you_ sure_ you don't have her number?"

"Why the_ hell_ would I have gotten her number?"

"Did you give her your phone to find her house?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Did you check your contacts list after? If she didn't put her number in your phone, I'll get the forty bucks from Leigh."

"Fine, I'll check. If it's not there, I'll call."

"Good night, Castiel." Lysander hangs up and I scowl as if he can see me through the phone. Begrudgingly, I open my contacts list and look through. My jaw drops when I see her first name, written next to a winky face. That little...

I press her name to call her. When she picks up, she sounds confused.

"Who's this?"

"You're a clever little princess, aren't you?" I snicker. She laughs at the sound of my voice.

"Castiel! I wondered when you'd find that."

"I was right. You _are_ madly in love."

_"As if._ I just wanted to see if you'd notice. It didn't take you too long, I'll give you that."

"Lysander predicted it," I mumble.

"Ah, I see, so he's the smart one," she laughs.

"Listen, you wouldn't happen to have any spare guitar strings, would you?"

"Depends on why you're asking."

"I snapped mine."

"Ha! I_ knew_ you were trouble!"

"Shut up and answer my question."

"Yes, I have one extra set."

"Can you bring them over?" I ask, cursing myself for the eager tone in my voice.

"Nope. Grounded."

_"Grounded?"_

"For hooking up with, I quote, 'the first delinquent I saw.'"

"Your mom actually thinks we...?"

"'Fraid so, hotshot." Well, this conversation is officially awkward.

"Can I come get them, then?" I ask.

"Grounded also means no visitors."

"Throw them out the damn window!"

"Language..." she chides in a singsong voice. "If you need them that badly, I'll bring them tomorrow morning, how's that?"

"I really need them tonight."

"I can't get them to you tonight!" I pause and think if there's any way I can get them.

"What if I came over?"

"What part of _no visitors_ do you not under-"

"No! What if I came over to 'apologize' to your parents?" I do the air quotes even though she can't see me.

"Pa_rent_," she corrects sharply. "And what would that accomplish?"

"I could come in, you could sneak me the strings." Nelly sighs, and I hear her fall down backwards on what I'm guessing is her bed.

"I just don't understand why this can't wait 'til morning. It's seriously less than twelve hours away; you can live without your guitar for that long."

"That just proves how much you don't know me."

"If I don't know you, then why are you calling me asking for strings?"

"'Cause Lysander's broke and I spent all my money on concert tickets for us this weekend, and you're the only other person I know who plays! I'm a little desperate here."

"You're going to a concert?"

"Don't you dare change the subject."

"No, no, I just meant, maybe we could work a little something out."

"Meaning..."

"Who are you seeing?"

"Stars from Nightmares," I say, forcing the words out.

"Ooh, really? Kim was telling me about them during lunch today. Are they any good?"

"They're alright," I seethe. I do not want to talk about that band with her.

"Gimme the second ticket and the strings are all yours," she offers. I clench my fist and bite my lip. There she goes again with her bargaining.

"The other ticket is for Lysander. My _friend,"_ I growl.

"Well, I'm not going to give my guitar strings to someone who's not my friend," Nelly snaps from the other end.

"I'll call you back," I grumble. I hang up the phone and call Lysander again.

"Her number seriously wasn't in there?"

"It was. And she has the strings. But she wants another deal." Lysander lets out a low whistle.

"What is it this time?"

"She wants the other ticket to the concert." I pause, waiting for Lysander's response, but he gives none. "Look, I won't give to her if you want it."

"Castiel, you know what, this is actually great, because I have no interest whatsoever in seeing that band." Lysander's words shock me.

_"Really?"_

"I'm not a huge fan of their kind of music, and I really don't like being in a crowd. If you give her the ticket, I won't be offended."

"Thanks, man, you're the best." I hang up and call Nelly back.

"So?" she asks in an expectant tone.

"You can have the ticket."

"Cool! And you don't have to 'apologize' to my mom. I'll throw the box out the window. Look just behind the ridiculous bushes with the yellow flowers."

"Cool, thanks, princess."

"No problem, hotshot. I was never gonna use these strings anyways. I don't break mine." I huff indignantly as she hangs up on me. She really is a little brat, isn't she? But at least she came through with the strings.

I don't bother putting my jeans back on or redoing my hair. Nobody's going to see me, anyways. I decide to bring Demon, though. Poor guy's been alone all day. He hops into the passenger seat of the truck like it's where he belongs, and I head back to Nelly's house.

The lights are only on in the left side, so I'm guessing they're having dinner or something. I can't help but imagine the fight that's no doubt going on right now.

_"Nelly, I can't believe you would do that just to spite us! That boy is trouble, I'm telling you right now!"_

_"For the last time, I didn't do anything."_

_"You should've seen her in class, today, darling. She was sleeping!"_

_"Nelly! Sleeping in your father's class?"_

_"I was only pretending, and we got the work done."_

_"I'll bet that nice boy with the silver hair did it all by himself, didn't he?"_

_"Maybe."_

_"ELEANOR CARTER!" _

Ha. I almost feel bad for the girl. _Almost._ Personally, I wouldn't mind having someone around to yell at me to get a haircut or to turn down the amp every once in a while. I mean, I wouldn't get the haircut or turn down the amp even if they asked, but still. It's awful hard to rebel when you don't have anyone to rebel against.

As promised, the box of guitar strings is behind the bushes decorated with yellow flowers. The little princess even has the brand I like. Who would've guessed? I tuck the box under my jacket and go back to the truck.

"Got 'em, boy," I tell Demon, scratching him behind the ears. He whines appreciatively and thumps his tail against the seat as I drive back home. I think I see Nelly's porch light come on, but by then I'm too far down the road to be sure. Eh, I'm probably just paranoid.

When I get back to the house, I hook up the new strings and get back to playing. The only way I can ever clear my head is through my guitar; it's like my own personal type of venting. Working out in the basement works too, but it usually makes me more angry than relaxed. I don't even know what I'm playing half the time when I guitar-vent, and it always ends up being noise instead of music, but there's just something soothing about the vibration of the strings against my fingertips that calms me down; makes me forget whatever I want to forget. Right now I just want to forget about everything. About the blasted concert, about Nelly, and most of all, about _her_, about her big blue eyes, about the way her voice sounded when she said my name...

GOD, CASTIEL, GET A LIFE!

I kick the volume up a notch and strum harder.

I'm really lucky we have a lot of land. If we didn't, I'd be getting angry calls from the neighbors all the time.

I play until my fingers are worn down to the bone, and by then my head is finally clear. I might actually be able to sleep now. After setting my guitar down and unplugging the amp, I lean over the balcony overlooking the family room and call Demon upstairs, breaking the household rules. He bounces up giddily and starts making a place for himself in the pile of dirty clothes at the foot of my bed. I scratch him behind the ears before pulling back the covers and climbing in.

I don't know how long I stare at the ceiling. It feels like hours, but it's probably only about ten minutes before my eyelids start getting heavy and I give in to exhaustion.

_Another great day tomorrow... _

**Hope you guys are liking it so far! Any reviews much appreciated :) **

**By the way, I know nothing about guitars, but I'm pretty sure that acoustic guitar strings and electric guitar strings are different, and they don't cost forty bucks. But who said My Candy Love was realistic? Oh well :D  
**

**~Ava  
**


	5. The Magic

**NELLY CARTER**

"Eleanor Mackenzie Carter! Get down here right now!" Oooh, I'm in trouble. You know it's bad when she starts calling me Eleanor. What _else_ did I do wrong? Last night I was given a lecture about how I needed to pick the right people to hang out with, how I needed to respect my stepfather both in and outside of class, and most unfortunate of all, _the talk_. As if I hadn't heard it all before. What else could they possibly lecture me about? I'm not allowed to have any visitors, I'm not allowed to stay after school with my so called 'friends,' I'm not allowed to go over to anyone's house, and they confiscated my car keys. All because Castiel and I decided to have a little well deserved fun.

Maybe honesty is the best policy after all.

I just hope I'll be able to sneak out on Friday to that concert. I really couldn't care less about it, but I'm willing to do anything to get out of this house for a few hours. Plus, Castiel's ex is the lead singer in that band. I'm really curious about her for some reason, especially since he refused to tell me about her last night. It's a lot of fun, having dramatic irony on your side.

I drag myself out of bed and pad downstairs like a robot. Mom and Simon Faraize are standing in the kitchen with their arms around each other, and to my relief, there are no flames dancing in their eyes. Astonishingly, Simon reaches a hand into his pocket and pulls out my car keys. He holds them out to me, and I grab them without hesitation. I don't know what the catch is yet, but I want my car.

"You're not mad at me anymore?" I ask.

"Honey, we're still very disappointed," Mom says gently, "but we realize that you probably didn't mean anything by what you did, and that you probably don't want everyone labeling you right away as the English teacher's daughter. You're still grounded, but you can drive yourself to and from school. Just know that there's a GPS app on your phone," she adds, "so we'll know if you try anything." Well, that's just peachy keen. I don't even try to deny doing anything anymore; it's not worth it.

"Thanks," I mutter. "I'm gonna go get dressed." They must've yelled to make sure I'd come down.

I don't really spend all that much time on my appearance. I think better of wearing my "Do What You Want" t-shirt, though. I don't think that would go over very well. It's supposed to be around eighty degrees today, so I'll be safe in my gray and white floral patterned jeans and a simple, loose fitting navy blue tank top. All I do for makeup is sheer gloss and a touch of mascara. To finish up my trend-setting outfit, I fasten the infinity necklace Dad gave me for my tenth birthday around my neck. I used to wear it every single day, but Mom made me take it off for the wedding. She said she wanted everyone in the bridal party to wear gold jewelry, but I think she just didn't want a reminder of Dad at her wedding. I haven't worn it since. After taking a few seconds to run a comb through my tangled hair and to slide on my black TOMS, I skip downstairs, grab a granola bar to eat on the road, and get in my car to go to school. I'm _not_ going to be late today.

I remember to pack my guitar, because for some strange reason, I think I'm hoping that Lysander and Castiel will ask me to play with them today. I know it's a long shot, but you never know. Even though it's only been one day, I think it's pretty safe to call the two of them my friends. Or, good acquaintances at the very least.

When I get to Sweet Amoris, I park my car right in front of the doors. Several people stare at me as I get out, and whispers follow me as I walk towards the courtyard.

"That's Mr. Faraize's daughter. I saw her come to school with him yesterday."

"Maybe he's her uncle, then."

"I'll bet she's a goody-goody."

"Why is she just now coming to school?"

"She doesn't even look like him!"

_Idiots._ If only they knew.

I find Kim leaning against the wire fence where we sat for lunch yesterday, playing a game on her iPhone.

"Did you have fun at your secret engagement last night?" I ask, dropping my back and sitting down next to her.

"Absolutely," she replies, smiling. "If you haven't pissed me off by next week, I'll tell you where I went."

"Sounds like a deal." I lean over her shoulder to see what she's playing. _Temple Run._ Ah, memories. That game practically had me pulling my hair out trying to get good at it. I'm pretty beast at it now, despite the fact that nobody really plays it anymore in Chicago. Everything is dated in Amoris, though, so maybe it's still considered cool around here.

"Can I try?" I ask.

"Wait 'til I die," Kim tells me, tilting her phone back and forth to collect all the coins. Thirty seconds later, she misses a jump. "It's harder when people are watching," she defends herself.

"Sure it is," I laugh. "C'mon, hand it over." Kim rolls her eyes and holds her phone out to me. I crush her high score in no time at all.

"Show off," she snaps, snatching her phone back. I laugh, and the bell rings to go to class. After Kim confirms that there are no grass stains on my butt, she shows me the way to the Physics room. I've really been dreading Physics, but I'd rather go there than English.

I almost fall asleep in class because all we do is watch a video narrated by a monotonic male voice introducing us to the subject. If it weren't for Kim and Castiel taking turns flicking my shoulder and pulling my hair, I'd have been a goner.

After Physics, I'm so drowsy it's not even funny, and I have study hall next. I am _so_ not going. Castiel has inspired me to 'play hooky' again, and I really want some time to myself. If only there was a place to go...

I tell Kim I have to go to the bathroom as an excuse, and find myself wandering down the hall towards the back of the school where Castiel and Lysander practice. There's no point in trying to get into that room; Castiel's the only one with a key. Not knowing where else to go, I climb the stairs.

According to Kim, only the freshmen and sophomores have classes on the upper level, so I get a lot of strange looks. I manage to ignore them as I continue in my search to find the perfect hiding place. When the crowd in the narrow hall dissipates, I walk around in circles a few more times until I see a door that reads: TOO ROOF. FACULTY MEMBERS ONLY.

Darn. That would've been perfect, but I'm positive the door is locked. That sucks. In spite of myself, I twist the little silver knob just to try my luck, and to my surprise, the door swings open without any trouble. Hmm, that's odd. Odd, but very lucky.

I glance around to make sure no one is watching me before ducking into the dark stairwell. I climb it to find another door, also not locked. It opens just as easily, and I catch my breath at the sight.

As is turns out, Amoris is a lovely little town if you see it from an aerial view. Little white houses dot the landscape, and I think I can pick out mine in the distance. A gentle breeze combs through my hair, and I close my eyes, letting it rush over my face.

Realizing that it might not be the best idea to be standing right outside the door in case a faculty member comes up here for a smoke or something, I tip toe over to a little bench on the side of the stairwell and lay down across it. The sound of the wind crashing through the palm trees is enough to make me fall asleep, especially when it's paired with a C minor chord strummed on a guitar. Add a C major, and something magical happens in the air. It doesn't even cross my mind that the beautiful sounds are anything other than a figment of my imagination.

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU DOING HERE!?" My eyes snap open at the sound of a deep, masculine voice yelling at me. I wake up to the sight of beat up red converse, and my eyes travel up the person's body until I reach his face. Castiel?

"I might ask you the same question, hotshot," I reply groggily, rubbing my eyes and sitting up.

"I've been here all period!"

"Well, so have I. Both of the doors were unlocked." Castiel chuckles and pushes a strand of red hair behind his ear.

"They were only unlocked because_ I_ unlocked them, princess. Master key, remember?"

"You should have locked them back up if you didn't want anyone coming in," I retort.

"Stop being such a smartass. The doors don't lock from the inside."

"Well...well you should...fix that!" _Gosh, Nelly. You can do so much better._

"Nice comeback," Castiel smirks. He sits down beside me, resting his guitar on his knee. It's a red electric, but it's not plugged in. "I'm surprised at you. I thought you stopped ditching after you didn't get...what was it? 'Knocked up?'"

"I thought we agreed not to talk about that," I say, crossing my arms over my chest self-consciously. I really shouldn't have brought Evan up yesterday. Kim must have slipped something into my drink at lunch to have me spilling my guts like a fish, and now Castiel's judging me for it. I had a reputation when I was with Evan, and I sorta kinda wanted to ditch it this time around.

"Right, sorry," he apologizes quickly. "But my question still stands."

"I just don't feel like going to study hall at the moment," I reveal, crossing my legs as well. "Nothing to do except sleep, but down there I'd get in trouble for it."

"I guess that's a good point," Castiel agrees. He plucks his guitar strings absentmindedly.

"Those strings are great," I comment, captivated by the movements of his fingers. "You must have gotten them from someone really awesome."

"Yeah, alright," he mutters, staring off into space. Something's on his mind, but I don't think it would be the best idea to ask what it is; not while he's not snapping at me.

"You're not going to make me leave?"

"Nah. Period's almost over anyways." He tugs on his hair, and I notice for the first time that it's pulled back. He looks different with it like that; almost approachable. In one swift movement, he slides the band out, and red strands fall to his shoulders, covering my view of his face like a curtain.

"Well, am I allowed to come back, then?"

"It doesn't really matter what I say, does it?" I have to laugh at how well he gets me.

"No, I guess not. I like it up here. Oh, by the way, we need to talk about a way to get me into that concert," I add, just now remembering. "My mom put a tracker on my phone and I'm still grounded." Castiel heaves a sigh and leans back against the bench.

"I'm beginning to think I should've just dealt without the strings, princess. This is ridiculous."

"Too bad you didn't have that mindset last night."

"It's all your fault, you know, playing that trick on your mom."

_"You_ played along."

"Eh, it was actually kinda funny," he smirks, strumming another chord. "And I guess we'll just have to toss _you_ out the window." I gape at him, and he laughs at my expression. "I'm kidding. Don't look at me like that."

"You are _such_ a jerk!"

"Why, thank you very much."

"Anytime. But seriously, we need a plan."

"When does everyone at your house go to bed?" he asks.

"On a Friday? Like...ten thirty."

"Well, that won't work then; the concert's at eight. What time is dinner?"

"Sometime between six and seven."

"Is there a door that you can't see from the kitchen?"

"Yeah, the garage is on the opposite side of the house."

"Okay, then. Here's what we'll have to do." Castiel leans his head close to mine and tells me the plan, speaking softly as if we're surrounded by suspicious people as opposed to being alone. There are a few kinks that we'll have to work out depending on what exactly my deranged family decides to do that night, but it should work, and we've got all week to figure it out. The only downside is that I have to leave my phone at home. But really, that's a small price to pay for a night out on the town.

The bell rings just as we're cleaning up the final details. Castiel packs up his guitar and slings it over his shoulder before following me downstairs, locking the doors behind him.

"What should I plan to wear?" I ask as we walk to our next class. Castiel chuckles.

"Something sexy," he says snidely. I stop in my tracks and gawk at him.

"You little..." I turn around in a circle to compose myself. "I don't have anything like that; I'm not a _total _tease!"

"Yeah, well, figure it out." I narrow my eyes and follow him to class.

"Oh, I _will,_ trust me." We walk into the Science classroom and sit in the back. A few minutes later, Kim comes to sit next to me, and Lysander takes the seat next to Castiel. The boys are instantly engaged in a conversation.

"That was an awful long bathroom break," Kim whispers in my ear. "I was so bored I had to resort to watching Li French braid Amber's hair." Ouch, that's painful.

"Sorry," I whisper back. "I was taking a nap."

"Sure you were, _princess,"_ she hisses, clearly annoyed. "But I have to give you some credit, I guess. You work fast."

Wait...princess? How does she know about that?

"Kim! Did you follow me?" I'm praying with everything in me that Castiel and Lysander are talking about something really, really interesting.

"Please," she huffs. "I wandered around for the second half of class, though. Same excuse as you. The doors to the roof were unlocked, and I was curious. I might have heard you two talking."

_"Might_ have?"

"Alright, I did," she admits. "But I left when you started whispering." My heart rate slows substantially. She didn't hear about our plan to sneak me out. I don't think she would tell, but it's always best to keep a secret just that; a secret.

"Kim?" I say suddenly, reliving my and Castiel's most recent conversation in my head. "Can you do me a _huge_ favor?"

The next day, I get to school early and meet Kim at our spot next to the fence. Immediately, she produces a purple shopping bag.

_"Your club attire,"_ she says in a mock English accent. And then, "I hope it's in your size. Extra small, right?" Eagerly, I tear through the bag like a little kid on Christmas, first pulling out a pair of simple black shorts, and then a navy blue crop top that will leave my midriff exposed, save for the blue and gold gradient fringe hanging from the sweetheart neckline. And Kim's picked out a little present; a silver ring that spirals around my finger, with the words "Not all who wander are lost" engraved in black.

"Thank you! This is perfect!" I squeal, reaching up to give my friend a quick hug. "How much do I owe you?"

"Eh, don't worry about it. I used my dad's emergency credit card," Kim says with a smirk.

"You're the best," I say in a singsong voice, putting my new outfit back in its bag and shoving it into my backpack before Simon sees me.

"Ugh. Tell me something I don't know," Kim huffs, crossing her arms and leaning against the fence. Despite her tone, she's smiling. I giggle excitedly and slide the silver ring onto my right hand index finger. It fits perfectly.

"Well, I love this," I remark, rotating my hand and watching the light bounce off the shiny surface. "Where'd you find it?"

"There's this little store in town I like to go to. It's really tiny and most people just pass over it, but sometimes they'll have little cool things like that," Kim explains, eyeing the ring. I just thought it was the perfect representation of your rendezvous with Castiel over there." She jerks her head to the bench under the tree, where Castiel and Lysander are bent over Lysander's notebook. I laugh at her assumption, because she couldn't possibly be more wrong. Do I like Castiel? Hell, yeah. I could write a long list of things I like about him. He's pretty attractive too, I'll admit, with his smoldering stare and sharp, defined features. When he's not wearing his jacket, oh my God, his biceps are beautiful. And I'm sure his nimble fingers would feel amazing if they were caressing your face or stroking your hair. Sure, I'm _attracted_ to Castiel; I'll admit it gladly. But so are most girls in the senior class, I'm assuming, and I'd never let anything happen; love doesn't exist, remember? Anything that ever _did_ happen wouldn't mean anything. If you let your guard down for even a moment, you'll get hurt. I've seen it happen so many times with couples in my old high school, and I'll never forget when I witnessed love's great failure from under a table at ten years old.

"You're way off the mark, Kim," I giggle. "There's nothing going on."

"I'm not stupid," Kim snickers. "I know chemistry when I see it. But you'd better grab him fast, little girl, before he sees his ex at that concert."

"Oh, yeah, his ex. What's her name?"

"Deborah Oliver, I think."

"Is she pretty?"

"Ha, why do you care?" Kim snickers.

"I don't," I say honestly, shrugging my shoulders. "But I specifically asked Castiel the other day if he had ever experienced his own tragic love story, and he said no. From the way you talk about it, it was a big deal."

"Oh, it _was_ a big deal," Kim laughs, recalling the event. "She broke up with him right there, in front of everybody." She points to the center of the courtyard. "They got into a big fight about something. I don't know the whole story, only bits and pieces, but I guess Castiel played with her and her band for a while. Then they got offered a record deal. Problem was, they had six people and two guitarists, and Castiel had to go if they wanted to record an album. I don't know if it was because he was the mediocre player, or because the other guy was there first, or what, but he got kicked out. The rest of them left school, but he's stuck here with us. After she left, he went all scary and dyed his hair and changed his entire personality. It was a _very_big deal, Nel."

My eyes search out Castiel from among the students and study him. From his outward appearance, you'd never guess he'd been through heartbreak like that. All anyone ever sees of him is the fighter, but with this new information, it almost seems like the lover used to be his more dominant side.

I watch curiously as the other new girl, Katherine, approaches Castiel. When he glances up at her, she moves her lips to say something before thrusting a piece of paper and a pen in his face. He snarls, rips the paper from her hands, and tears it right down the center. The two halves flutter to the ground, and Castiel proceeds to crush the paper even more with his foot, treating it like a burnt out cigarette. The poor girl just stands there in shock, unsure of what to do until a blonde boy, Nathaniel, I think his name is, comes up behind her and starts yelling at Castiel.

"Who do you think you are?" Nathaniel roars. "Don't you dare treat her like that!" The girl, Katherine, backs up slowly to her other friends, Melody and Iris. I know their names from classes.

"Sorry, blondie," Castiel sneers. By now the courtyard is completely silent except for their voices.

"Castiel and Nathaniel hate each other's guts," Kim whispers to me as the yelling continues.

"Why?" I ask.

"Nobody knows," Kim shrugs.

It's becoming more and more clear that there's a lot more to Castiel Mason than what meets the eye.

**Let me know what you think so far!  
**

**~Ava**


	6. The Dream

**CASTIEL MASON**

"Buzz of, dumbass," I hiss at Nathaniel. "I don't feel like dealing with you right now."

"I don't care what you _feel_ like doing, Castiel," Nathaniel snaps. Really, all this fuss over a little slip of paper...I know it's wasting trees or whatever, so why print it out in the first place? He knew I wouldn't sign it, that's why he sent that new girl over in hopes I'd take pity on her ignorance. Well, you know what, buddy? If she doesn't know the way the food chain works around here, she's on her own. I sigh and cross my arms as Nathaniel goes off on a tangent about accepting my responsibilities. I don't listen to a word he says.

"If you were a real man, you'd sign the form!" Nathaniel finishes. I tune in automatically when he implies that he's more of a man than I am. It's probably one of the most hysterical things I've ever heard in my life, but it's also one of the most infuriating.

"A _real man_ wouldn't have sent a little _girl_ to do his dirty work!" I roar in response. "I'm not signing your goddamn form!" I can't even begin to describe how much I hate this moron.

"The only reason I sent Katherine was to avoid _this!"_ Nathaniel shouts back, anger flooding his golden eyes.

"Oh, yeah? Well, why don't we ask dear _Katherine_ how she thinks it's going, then," I sneer, taking a step towards Nathaniel. He crosses his arms and stares me down, not moving a muscle.

"Don't talk to her," Nathaniel threatens. He's such an idiot it's laughable.

"Or what?" I snort. In a sudden rush of adrenaline, I grab Nathaniel by the collar of his shirt and toss him backwards in the direction of his friends with as much force as possible. He falls to the ground with a _thud,_ and Katherine rushes to help him up. When Nathaniel's on his feet, Katherine hands him off to Iris and Melody and marches up to me.

"I don't know what your problem is," she threatens, "but when I come back you _will_ sign that _damn_ form."

"And what if I don't?" I snicker, leering at her. "You don't know anything."

"I know more than you might think," she says, blinking furiously. She's scared of me. "I know, for example, that if you don't sign it you could be suspended. If it happens more than three times, you're _expelled."_ Aw, that's so cute. She actually thinks I care.

Katherine retreats with her group of nerds and the rest of the students get back to their regular activities. I sit back down with Lysander, who's staring at me like I have three heads.

"You certainly weren't very cordial," he comments.

"Lysander, when have you ever known me to be _cordial?"_

"When the young girl comes back, I'd highly recommend giving her the form, as well as an apology."

"Sorry. Not gonna happen." I lean back against the bench, crossing my arms and making a point of staring at a particularly interesting blade of grass to avoid seeing everyone staring at me.

"That was quite the show, hotshot," a female voice says, approaching. I know who it is without even needing to look up.

"Go away, princess," I mutter.

"Alright. But for future reference, I'm really great at forging signatures..." Nelly stalks away with Kim at her side, and Lysander gives me a pointed glance.

"You're a bad influence on her," he accuses.

"And I'm not a bad influence on you?"

"I get the impression she likes you."

"Shut up, Lys."

"I'm _serious."_

"I know. But that doesn't change the fact that you're _way _off your rocker, Will."

_"Castiel._ She put her number in your phone, she pretended you were her boyfriend, she talks to you without reason, she wanted to go to a concert with you, she-"

"She's going to that concert because she's grounded and wants out of the house," I remind him. "And she pretended we were together to make her mom upset. As for the phone thing, well, I can't control my sexiness."

"She gave you her extra guitar strings."

"In return for the second ticket. If you recall, there was a great deal of negotiating involved with that." Lysander sighs and begins packing up his things. This isn't over; he just doesn't feel like dealing with it right now. I want to tell him that he doesn't have to deal with it _at all,_ because it doesn't exist, but part of me feels like he may be right. There's...there's something there, I'm just not sure what it is yet. She is sorta hot…in an obnoxious, annoying kind of way.

I shake my head to chase away the thought. It doesn't matter; I'll see Deborah tomorrow. Now _that_ was something. Sometimes when I'm alone, falling asleep, I can almost feel her beside me. Her hands, her lips...

The bell interrupts my fantasy. It's probably for the best.

Never did see Miss Katherine again.

Nelly actually behaves in English class today, although Mr. Faraize has made a seating chart, and the four of us are spread out in the four corners of the room, which is probably the only reason. Nelly is actually next to Katherine. Maybe Mr. Faraize thought that putting the new girls together would minimize the drama. I'm next to that idiot Alexy, though. I mean, he's nice enough, he's just too...perky.

Lysander seems to find my scowl remarkably funny.

After class, Nelly approaches me again, biting her lip and wearing a guilty expression.

"What'd you do?" I ask, leaning against the wall outside of the classroom.

"Well, I was talking to Katherine, and..." she looks down, and I follow her eyes down to her hand to see her holding a little slip of paper.

"You're kidding me."

"Look, you scared the crap out of her today. She thinks you're gonna snap her neck or something, so she just gave it to me. I know you don't want to, and that's your business, but just think about it, alright?" She thrusts the note into my hand and disappears into the crowd of students. I crumple it up immediately and shove it in the pocket of my jeans. I _guess_ I'll think about it. I don't _think_ I want to get expelled. I'm not a hundred percent sure yet, but I'm at about eighty. Where else am I going to go to give Natty boy a hard time? He lives in this place.

The school day inches by, and when it's over I tell Lysander I'm not in the mood to practice today. He seems a little annoyed, but he knows enough not to push it. Plus, he didn't finish the song he was supposed to. He 'forgot.'

As soon as I get home, I let Demon outside and go upstairs, falling face first on my bed. After turning myself around, I dig the note out of my pocket and hold it up, reading it for the first time.

**SWEET AMORIS HIGH SCHOOL DICSIPLINARY NOTICE**

**Student Name: Castiel Mason**

**Description of Offense: Castiel has a history of skipping class and was seen entering the Faculty Only doors this past Tuesday during class and without authorization.**

**Parent/Legal Guardian's Signature _**

**Failure to return this slip may result in detention, suspension, and in extreme cases, expulsion.**

It's really pathetic when the student's name and the signature match up, isn't it?

Knowing that I'd really be pushing my luck in trying to get out of this, I give in and scribble my initials on the line in a black Sharpie from my bedside table.

Katherine and Nathaniel look very pleased with themselves when I turn it in the next day.

After school on Friday, I'm texting Nelly back and forth to make sure our plan goes off without a hitch. As soon as she tells me they're at the dinner table, which is around 6:45, I start the drive to her house.

She's supposed to eat fast before claiming to feel sick, and then she'll go to the bathroom adjacent to the living area on the opposite side of the house from the kitchen. From there, she said she'll need about fifteen minutes to change, because she'd never be allowed to wear what she's wearing in public, and makeup takes a long time because she's not particularly gifted at it.

If by some chance her mom or Mr. Faraize comes to check on her, she has a bathrobe hung up on the inside of the door to hide her outfit, but she doesn't think they'll check up on her at all if she tells them she's going to bed. _Sounds familiar._ And lastly, before any of this happens, she's going to casually close the curtains that would allow the adults to see my car parked outside. She'll leave her phone in the cabinet under the sink (took a bit of convincing, that one), and then she'll turn off the alarm and sneak out the garage door that she "forgot" to close when she came home from school. As for getting back in...we're still working on that. It's also a bit of a long shot that her parents won't discover her missing, but Nelly insists that she doesn't mind getting grounded again, because it obviously doesn't make that much of a difference in her social life if she has the guts to pull stunts like this.

It's not really that difficult of a plan as long as you have some common sense. I don't know if Nelly does, but here's hoping. Although...if the plan doesn't work, I'll probably get dragged into her house and lectured by her family, and then I'll miss the concert and won't have to deal with the nauseating idea of seeing Deborah. That might be nice. But at the same time, I came up with this really great idea for a way to get Deborah to talk to me...no, I can't think about that. I keep my focus on the plan to get Nelly out, because whenever I let my mind wander, I feel like I'm going to throw up. Somehow, I don't think Nelly would appreciate that.

Five minutes after I pull up in front of the white house, Nelly texts me to ask if I'm here. I reply back quickly, and five seconds later I see a figure emerging from the open garage.

Nelly really took my, uh, _advice_ on what to wear. She told me she doesn't have anything "sexy," but she was lying through her teeth on that one. Nelly's somehow gotten her hands on a pair of tiny black shorts and a dark blue top with fringe hanging down that exposes her midriff and makes her look ten times curvier than she really is. She's wearing a pair of black All Star high tops that I've never seen before, her eye makeup's done all fancy, and she's pulled a gray beanie over her orange curls. She definitely looks the part of my fake girlfriend.

I suppose I'll have to mention that little detail to her soon. It shouldn't matter; she used me, I use her, we're even. Then maybe we can stop playing this bargaining game. I'm probably going to have to explain about Deborah, though. Maybe I can twist the truth a little.

"Nice outfit," I smirk as she climbs into the car. Hopefully she can't tell I'm being serious.

"Right back at you," she comments, unfazed. Okay, I may have traded my red t-shirt in for something a little nicer. But this is a special occasion.

"So where's the concert?" she asks as we drive away.

"It's at a big college campus right outside of town," I say. "They've got a pretty beast auditorium, or so I've heard."

"Sounds fun. Where are our tickets?"

"Second row."

"Aww, not first? I'm disappointed in you, hotshot."

"First row sucks."

"I know. I was kidding."

"Sure you were..." Okay, it's now or never. "So, listen princess, there are gonna be some old friends of mine at this concert. Jerks, all of them." _Most _of them, I mentally correct myself. "Anyways, they're gonna want to set me up with some slut unless-"

"Unless you have a girlfriend?" Nelly giggles. "So the wheel's turned around, has it?" Oh, good, she's not upset.

"Appears so," I shrug. "So if they come up to talk to us, just...act the part, okay?"

"Ha, alright, I can do that," she replies, slouching down in her seat. "So...tell me about these jerk friends of yours. Will they be sitting near us?"

"No, not exactly. They'll be on the stage."

"Oooh, backstage passes, huh? Shame we don't got those."

"No, not backstage passes." _Why am I telling her this? STOP!_The words just keep coming. "Victor'll be on the bass, Nancy's on the keyboard, Trent's on the drums, Sam's on the electric, and Deborah's at the mic." I can barely make myself say her name.

"Hmm..." Nelly muses. "So your friends are the band?"

"You don't seem surprised." And it's true, she doesn't. Anyone else would have freaked out.

"I'm not," she shrugs. "I told Kim I was going to the concert and she said the band used to go to Sweet Amoris. Mentioned a couple other things about them too...but I don't remember."

_Damnit._ I'll bet she _knows_ about Deborah. And if she's been talking to Kim about the band, she knows a whole lot more. To her credit, she doesn't push it, but even so, she probably picked up on my little lie right from the start. How could I have been so stupid? I mean, how much could she and Kim possibly have to talk about except outdated gossip? I decide not to bring it up on the off chance that she's telling the truth about not remembering, but I know in my heart that she's not.

There's a crowd forming outside when we get to the college, and almost all of the parking spots are taken already. We end up having to park on the far side of the lot and walk what feels like a mile to the front doors. I fish the tickets out of the pockets of my jacket and hand the most crumpled one to Nelly. She notices and slaps my arm, but she's smiling.

When I told Nelly that the auditorium in this place was huge, I really didn't know what I was talking about. It's _massive._ It must seat thousands. The stage is huge, and I feel a pang in my chest to see Trent's drum set on the stage, the words "Stars from Nightmares" engraved on the front. A glittering microphone stands in the center of the stage, ready for Deborah when she comes on. Nancy's white electronic keyboard hasn't changed a bit, and neither have Victor's bass and Sam's electric. I'd expected them all to have gotten new, fancier, shinier instruments now that they've hit it big, but they must still be pretending to be sentimental. The only thing that's new is that mic. Deborah's mic.

Our seats are relatively easy to find. When we get there, we're the only ones in the row, but it doesn't take long for the rest of the seats to fill up. No one actually sits down, though. I'm tapping my foot anxiously, my eyes glued on the shiny mic. Only ten minutes to go...

Nelly notices my anxiety and flicks my shoulder to get my attention.

"Something wrong?" she asks suggestively, raising her eyebrows.

"Nervous for Sam," I lie. "He has trouble with his C chords." I look down to see her grinning knowingly. Damn, she's gorgeous when she smiles like that. Why did I never notice it before?

CASTIEL, GET A GRIP.

Suddenly the lights go down, and everyone starts screaming. Music starts playing; loud music. The kind that you can feel vibrating in your chest. When the lights come back up, they sweep across the cheering audience and land on the people onstage. _And there they are. _

There's Trent in the back, still rocking his jet black mohawk, a snake tattoo curling up his arm. And Nancy, pounding her keyboard like it's both her best friend and her worst enemy, her pin straight hair flying all over the place. Victor's on his bass, looking as ripped as ever, and Sam is rocking out on his brilliant blue guitar, his short hair spiked with hair gel. There's only one person missing.

"Gooooood evening, everybody!" There it is. Her voice sends shivers down my spine, and the crowd roars when she runs on, her long chocolate brown hair flowing out behind her. She reaches the mic and grins widely at the audience, waving her gloved hand excitedly. I've never seen her look so happy, and I'm not entirely sure how that makes me feel. She starts to sing, and my entire body goes numb.

For most of the concert I just stand there, completely expressionless while Nelly and everyone around me screams and cheers. I can't take my eyes off of Deborah. She hasn't seen me yet, but Nancy noticed me during the second song. It would be impossible to describe how wide her eyes got, but she's on stage, so she can't tell anyone.

They're good. They're better than just good, actually. They're _amazing._ Every single one of them is living their dream out on that stage, and they don't need me to help.

At eleven o'clock, there's only one song left, and Deborah holds the mic to her lips to announce it. It must be a new one or something, because they haven't announced any of their songs so far.

"Thanks, you guys, thanks so much," Deborah exhales, out of breath. She looks at the audience and smiles as they finish applauding. "Wow, you guys, you have no idea how amazing this is. This past year has been a complete whirlwind for all of us; this has all happened so fast. It's so hard to believe that just last year we were begging for gigs in this very town, and now we're playing sold out shows all over the country. Just...wow." Deborah looks at her feet for a moment before glancing back up. "Now, pretty much all we've played tonight are the songs from our first album, which was just released a few weeks ago." She pauses again as the crowd roars. "But what a lot of you don't know is that a few months ago, all of this was just a dream for us. We went to the high school in town and jammed together after school, but that was it. That's how we bonded, though, and we bonded over one song in particular. Now, we've never played this song in a concert before because we always felt it was too intimate to share, but I think a one night only performance for you guys, our family, would be okay, right guys?" Deborah looks back at the gang for approval, and all of them nod. Except Nancy. She shakes her head ever so slightly, but Deborah either doesn't notice or doesn't care. My heart stops completely, realizing what they're about to play as Sam switches out his electric for an acoustic.

"Ladies and gentlemen," Deborah says into the mic, a sneaky smile on her lips, "I give you, and please excuse the cheesiness in the title, 'The Dream.'" Nancy's eyes are as big as planets, but she manages to pound through the intro. When Deborah starts to sing again, if I was numb before, now I've never felt more alive. But it's the bad kind of alive; the kind of alive that hurts so much you just want to collapse, and when you do, even that isn't good enough.

We all wrote this song together, and it was the only song that we ever wrote that actually had a meaning. We wrote it in the courtyard at Sweet Amoris, and used it as motivation, because it was our collective dream put to music. Whenever we felt down or discouraged, all we had to do was play this song and everything was better. Then Deborah would kiss me, and everything was _perfect._ And now they're playing it without me. Describing how much that hurts is like trying to wrap your head around the concept of infinity. When Deborah begins making eye contact with the people in the first few rows, I come back to reality, realizing that if she's going to see me, she's going to see me right now, because I have the absolute worst luck in the history of the world.

"Show time, princess," I mumble to Nelly. She steps forward and I get behind her, wrapping my arms around her waist, holding her against me. She reaches up to rest her hands on my top arm and leans her head into my shoulder, swaying back and forth to the music.

Right on cue, Deborah's brilliant blue eyes land on us. And despite my makeover, she recognizes me.

**Hope you like! Free donuts for all who review! (o) (o) (o)  
**

**~Ava**


	7. The After Party

_**Just a warning guys, this is the first chapter that gets a little risque, just so you know :)**_

**NELLY CARTER**

The lead singer's eyes lock on Castiel and I, and he squeezes me tighter. I quite like the feel of his muscular arms around me, but that's not important right now. What's important is figuring out why he feels he needs to use me to make this Deborah girl jealous. It won't make him happy; I know because I did the exact same thing to Evan and all it did was make me upset.

Deborah starts moving around the stage, but she always comes back to us, and every time she stops to stare Castiel's grip tightens. At last, the song ends and the band says a final goodnight before exiting the stage. Most of the crowd leaves, too, but Castiel just stands there, unmoving.

"Are we going?" I ask, twisting my neck to see his eyes.

"Right after we talk to my friends," he nods. He lets go of me and takes my hand. I notice immediately how sweaty his palm is. When most of the auditorium has emptied out, Castiel bursts into action. He squeezes my hand and drags me up the side steps of the stage, ducking behind the curtain before anyone sees us. There's hardly anything backstage except for some extra mics and lots and lots of wires, but there's no people. The band has disappeared to who knows where.

"Castiel...we shouldn't be back here," I say nervously, glancing around the dark wings.

"Shut up and follow me," is his only response. I don't really have much of an option because he's gripping my hand tightly, leading me out through a door and down a brightly lit hall. After several minutes of traipsing back and forth, Castiel finds what he's looking for. He stops and motions for me to be quiet, and I hear it too. People are talking and laughing behind a closed door.

"This one," Castiel decides, choosing a door. He turns the knob confidently and the door swings open, revealing a glamorous and comfortable looking lounge. And the band.

At the sight of us, the pianist hides her face in her hands, and the guitarist gasps and slides behind a curtain. The bass player grins, though, and the lead singer doesn't appear to notice our entrance. The drummer isn't in here.

"Castiel!" the bass player says, standing and holding out his hand. "Good to see you, buddy. How's school?"

"Better without you," Castiel sneers, shoving his hand aside. What was the guy's name? Oh, yeah, Victor.

"Hey, take it easy man," Victor laughs. "Who's your girl?" He scans me up and down lustfully, and I resist the urge to hide behind Castiel.

"This is Nelly," Castiel says, staring directly into Victor's eyes. "And no, you cannot 'borrow' her for the night."

"C'mon, dude, that was only once!" Victor says. He circles behind us to close the door, and when he turns back around he pinches my sides playfully, making me jump. "Maybe next time, huh, sweetie?" he whispers, pressing his lips against my ear. "I can give you twice as much heat as this loser." He comes around to face me and caresses my chin with the back of his hand. I shy away reflexively, and he snickers.

"Get away from her, Victor," Castiel says, a defensive edge to his voice. "She can do better than you, trust me."

"I hope you're not referring to yourself! Last I checked, _I _was the rock star!"

"Last_ I_ checked, you were _also _the bitch!"

"C'mon, Cas, play nice," the pianist says, finally showing her face. She would be pretty if it weren't for the piercing in her lip and eyebrow. "Vick's had a shortage of girls ever since we became famous and all. He's just desperate."

"Oh, so _you've_ stopped doing him, Nance?" Castiel bites. Nancy's dark eyes flash and she stands.

"How _dare_ you!"

All of the sudden, I'm in the middle of a battleground. Victor's shouting and Nancy's shouting and Castiel's shouting, and the other girl is just sitting in front of a mirror fixing her eye makeup. Finally, she get annoyed, rolls her eyes and stands up.

"Guys! Cool it!" She brushes past Victor and Nancy and approaches Castiel, throwing her arms around his neck without a second's hesitation. He drops my hand to hug her back. "It's so good to see you," I hear her whisper. "I've been wanting to talk, I just haven't had the chance to call you or anything, I'm sorry..."

"We could talk now," he whispers back. I've never heard his voice so soft; it almost seems unnatural. Deborah pulls away from him and nods.

"Yeah, now would be good. I mean, if your girlfriend doesn't mind, of course." She glances over at me questioningly.

"No, no, you two go right ahead," I say, fighting against the voices in my head. Deborah smiles gratefully and leads Castiel out of the room and down the hall. Only then do I realize I've trapped myself in a room with Victor and Nancy.

"Ah, now that _he's_ gone we can get down to business..." Victor pushes me against the wall and starts planting rough kisses along my neck. I squirm under him, but he's persistent. "Mmmm..." Victor breathes. "Castiel's a bitch, but he does have good taste in girls."

"Can you...stop?" I ask, moving in every direction to escape his grasp.

"Mmmm, sorry, sweetie," he murmurs, grabbing my thigh. "You're just too tempting." He keeps kissing me, running his disgusting hands up and down my body. No matter how hard I try to escape, he's too strong. Just when I think I'm done for, someone wrestles him away from me. The...guitarist? I had forgotten he was even in here. I think his name was Sam.

"Victor, it's not a good idea to come on to Castiel's girlfriend," he says calmly. "Remember Nathaniel?" Nathaniel...what does he have to do with any of this? I am so confused... Sam looks at me apologetically as Victor saunters to the other side of the room. "Sorry about him," he mumbles, looking down. He seemed so much more confident on the stage; I wonder what happened. He gestures to the couch opposite Nancy and asks me to sit down. I oblige happily, accepting Sam as my new protector. Lord knows I need one in this snake pit.

"Do you go to school with Cas?" Nancy asks me. I nod.

"Yeah, I'm new to the area this year." Sam whistles.

"Wow. You guys moved fast."

"Yeah, I guess," I shrug. I was never mentally prepared for a private interview. This is a bit weird.

"Hey!" The drummer appears in the doorway, his face contorted into a weird mask. "What the hell is Castiel doing outside with Deborah? And what's with the red hair?"

"I know, right?" Nancy grumbles, holding her chin in her hands. "I had hoped never to see him again."

"I'll second that," Victor adds, raising his hand. Trent, the drummer, nods in agreement.

"Ahem, guys..." Sam gestures towards me. "Trent, this is Castiel's _girlfriend,_ Nelly."

"Pfft, girlfriend?" Trent laughs. "You've got to be kidding. Honey, you do_ not_ want to stay with him."

"Why not?" I ask innocently. Trent plops down on the other side of Nancy and leans forward as if he's sharing some big secret.

"Well, honey, I might as well just tell you right now that he doesn't really like you. And before you know it, you'll start hearing rumors around the school about you that aren't true, right, and then if you trace them back to the source, it'll be him. That's what happened with all of us. Fortunately, everything he said he said to Deborah first, and Deborah told us. We kicked him outta the band when we were sick of dealing with him. Had to lose someone because of the nature of the record deal, anyways. It's a shame, really, he was a pretty sick guitarist." Sam stiffens beside me, and the story begins to piece itself together. But...I can't imagine Castiel doing something like that. He can be a jerk, but I don't think he'd go that far.

"So you're saying I should break up with him?" I ask slowly.

"That's right, sweetie. And if you need a shoulder to cry on, I've got one right here," Victor says, patting his shoulder. Oh, yeah, he's got one, and it's the size of a bowling ball. "I've got some _other_ things though, if you're looking for fun..." He leers at me suggestively, and my skin crawls even though he's a good five feet away.

"Yeah...uh, no thanks. You know what, it was really nice meeting you, but I have to get home, so I'm just gonna go get Castiel..." I stand and back up slowly towards the door, afraid that any sudden movements will trigger an attack.

"Bye!" Nancy says, suddenly very cheerful. I wave goodbye timidly and close the door. Now, as for Castiel...

I start wandering down the hall, going in the direction we came from. I round a corner, and immediately retreat back behind it when I see. _No, I can't have just seen that._ Slowly, I peek back around the corner, and my jaw falls to my feet. Castiel and Deborah are standing as close as the laws of physics allow, kissing with a passion you don't even see in the movies, their hands tangled in the other person's hair. Castiel's kissing her so hard I can't even bring myself to watch without feeling a need to gag. Apart from the inexplicable pain in my chest, the only thought I can conjure is, _Kim wasn't kidding..._

"Oh!" Deborah notices my presence and rips herself away from Castiel. Castiel turns to see who had the nerve to interrupt his kiss, and when he sees me standing there he scowls. Deborah looks from me to him with a nervous expression. "Well, this is awkward...um, it was lovely talking to you, Cas, but I think you're in for another talk now, so I'm just gonna go...nice meeting you, Nelly!" She rushes past me and back into the lounge room, all of her 'passion' gone in an instant. I don't know why, but she really rubs me the wrong way.

"You couldn't have stayed in there for five more minutes?" Castiel growls, taking me by the elbow and leading me roughly back outside.

"No, I couldn't have stayed in there for five more minutes!" I cry indignantly. "Five more minutes and I'd have been Victor's plaything! And Trent and Nancy kept giving me reasons to break up with you, some of which actually sounded _legit,_ and Sam was the only one who was halfway decent!"

"Sam is _anything_ but decent," Castiel snarls.

"Oh, yeah? Well while you were having your face sucked off, he was actually _trying_to help me!"

"What are you talking about? I told Victor to leave you alone!"

"Yeah, and that was all fine and dandy right up until the moment you _left!"_ Castiel stops in his tracks halfway to the car and grabs my shoulders, his eyes intense.

"Did Victor touch you?"

"I thought you didn't care."

_"Did Victor touch you?"_

"Well, since you're suddenly so interested, yes, the second you left he pinned me up against a wall and grabbed my leg and kissed me!"

"He_ kissed_you?" Castiel's fury seems to have changed victims.

"Yes! And he was about to rip my clothes off before Sam got him away from me!"

_"He kissed you?"_ Castiel repeats.

"Yes!" Well, not on the lips he didn't. But I don't bother Castiel with that detail.

Castiel is fuming with anger.

"WHY DIDN'T YOU TELL ME ABOUT THIS SOONER!?" he roars.

"You were a little too busy with your girlfriend!"

_"You're_ my girlfriend!" Castiel realizes what he's said too late. "Forget that. I didn't mean..."

"I know what you meant," I say softly. "It's okay." I'm totally lying; I have no idea what he meant by that, and I'm a little bit scared to find out. He was just making out with that girl, for Heaven's sake! He seems to relax a bit, but he's still upset.

"Stay here," he orders, jerking my arm and situating me next to the car. "I need to go have a little talk with Victor."

"No, Castiel, don't worry about it, it was nothing!" I protest, grabbing his arm and pulling him back. "We need to go."

"Shut _up._ Wait here." He stomps back inside, and I hug the car nervously. I don't know why he couldn't have just opened up the car and let me in, because it's starting to get cold and I don't have a sweater or anything. I don't even have my phone to check on the time.

After what seems like forever, Castiel finally comes back.

"Let's go," he says. He unlocks the car and jumps in. I barely have time to jump in beside him before he starts the engine.

"So...what did you say to Victor?"

"Well, I couldn't just let it go, could I? Then he'd think that he'd won."

"You didn't answer my question."

"It's none of your business what I told him. Half of it didn't even have anything to do with you."

"Fine." I cross my legs and stare out the window, and Castiel puts a CD into the car. _Night Visions,_ by Imagine Dragons; I recognize it from the very first song. "No way!" I exclaim. "You like this band?"

"Duh."

"They're my favorite!"

"Really?"

"Yeah! I thought I was like, the only person who actually listened to them on a, you know, regular basis."

"Sorry, princess, you're not that cool."

"Of course not." We don't speak for the rest of the ride; all we do is listen to the music. It's pitch black outside, and there aren't a lot of cars on the road, so everything feels surreal and hazy, especially when mixed with Imagine Dragons's nostalgic sound. We break our silence only when we pull in front of my house.

"Thanks for taking me, hotshot," I say, getting out of the car. "I had a lot of fun...mostly," I add, shivering at the memory of meeting the band. The image of Deborah and Castiel is also burned into my brain; not until now did I truly understand the meaning of the phrase "scarred for life."

"Yeah, well don't get used to it," he drawls, turning the radio down to say something more important. "Look, I'm really sorry about-"

"Don't worry about it. Really," I say, despite the fact that I have no idea what he's apologizing for. The band's behavior? Kissing Deborah? Calling me his girlfriend? Maybe I should've let him finish.

"Whatever. Just, do me a favor and don't mention this to anyone, okay?"

"I can do that."

"Cool. See you, princess." He pulls away and I sneak back through the garage, happy to find the door unlocked, just the way I left it. The house is dark, and I slide off my Converse to be quieter, tip toeing back to the bathroom to get my phone, and then up to my room. My heart it beating so loudly I'm afraid that my mom or Simon is going to hear it. Thankfully, once I'm in my room I quickly change into my pajamas and climb in bed, and then I'm in the clear.

I just can't get that image of Deborah and Castiel out of my mind, and it haunts me as I fall asleep.

I spend the rest of the weekend acting like a complete angel, and on Sunday evening, Mom agrees to let me off the hook, although she warns me that I'll be kept under very close watch and the GPS will be kept on my phone until I graduate, which sucks, but I guess it's okay. I mean, it's not going to change what I do.

On Monday, I'm surprised to be approached by Lysander as soon as I get out of my car.

"Hello Nelly. How did the concert go?"

"It was alright," I reply, not sure what else to say.

"Excellent. Well, I had just come to ask you, my brother is throwing a birthday party for Rosalya, and he was wondering if you'd like to come. You know Rosa, right? She's in our classes."

_"He?_ Lysander, I don't know, I've never even met your brother..."

"Oh, I'm sorry, I guess that does sound a bit strange. No, he was just thinking Rosalya might be more comfortable if we invited some girls from school, but she doesn't get along well with too many of the girls. Castiel and Armin are both going, though, and Violette and Kim." Oh, well if Kim's going I guess it's okay.

"Okay, sure. When is it?"

"Tomorrow, right after school. Leigh's surprising Rosa and she's supposed to come over at five."

"Okay, that should be fine, I guess. Just give me your address." Lysander scribbles it down on a piece of paper and hands it to me. I glance down at it before shoving it in my pocket. "Thanks. Any ideas on a birthday present?"

"No presents. Rosa gets uncomfortable when people spend a lot of money on her."

"Fine by me," I chuckle, heading inside to class. "See you then."

The party can't come soon enough. I've been waiting for a social activity to really get me integrated into the school's food chain. Kim's excited, too, which surprises me. She doesn't really seem like the partying type. Apparently Leigh's got money to spare, and the Delian house is something to be impressed at.

I select my outfit the next day with care, knowing that I'll be going straight to Leigh and Lysander's house. After much deliberation, I settle on a layered blue tank top (I own a lot of blue clothes) paired with a gray denim jacket and white shorts covered in tiny gray motorcycles. I wear my infinity necklace from Dad and my ring from Kim, and the black combat boots she convinced me to get. They're actually really cute if you take the word 'combat' out of their name. Finally, I sweep my red curls back in a black braided headband to complete my party look. Hmm...I like it. Casual, yet cool.

And now I sound like a girly girl.

I ditch class again during study hall, and go up to the roof, knowing that Castiel will be there since the doors are unlocked. We haven't talked really since the concert except for a thirty second conversation yesterday when I had a question about math. He didn't know the answer.

I don't know what I felt that night, but I definitely felt something stir inside of me, especially when he was holding me during that song. Sure, I know that he was just using me to get to Deborah just like I used him to annoy Mom, but that doesn't change the fact that something was there. Something I've never felt before, ever. And when I saw him with Deborah...I felt almost...crushed. But that doesn't even make sense. He's never given me any reason to believe that he likes me in that way; in fact, he's given me several reasons not to believe it. And whatever this feeling is, it's probably just an infatuation or a little schoolgirl crush. I've already admitted to myself that he's attractive, so it was really only a matter of time. It'll pass.

"Hey, hotshot!" I call, opening the door that leads to the roof. Castiel is sitting with his hair tied back, playing his two favorite chords on his guitar. He's gotten an acoustic since playing mine. He looks up at the sound of my voice.

"Hey, Nelly."

"You excited to go to Lysander's tonight?"

"Oh, you're still going? I was hoping you'd chicken out."

"'Course you were," I say sarcastically, sitting next to him. "Can I try to play that?" I gesture towards his guitar. To my surprise, he shrugs and hands it over. To humor him, I strum a C major. He smirks and takes it back without letting me play anything else.

"Mine sounds better than yours," he claims.

"Does not!" From there we proceed to have a guitar showdown, but he has the advantage since it's his guitar and can control whether or not I get to play.

"How are you getting to the party?" he asks, stealing the guitar back from me again.

"I'm driving there from after school," I reply. "What, did you think I was walking or something?"

"You wanna lift?" he offers. "Might help to keep the driveway from getting too crowded."

"Uh, sure," I say, taken aback by his offer. "Can I drive?"

"Sorry, princess," he says snidely. "Nobody drives the truck but me. _Ever."_

"Except me," I say in a singsong voice, leaning against his shoulder and looking up at him with what I hope are very convincing puppy dog eyes. He rolls his eyes in an attempt to look sarcastic, but fails as a smile creeps onto his lips.

"Fine," he gives in. _"One time, _that's it. And God help you if you wreck it."

"I won't," I promise, giving his arm a grateful squeeze. He's going to let me drive his car! That should not make me this happy.

_**So what do you guys think of the band? Not the most moral folks, but Sam's alright, right? Tell me what you thought!  
**_

_**~Ava**_


	8. The Dare

**CASTIEL MASON**

_Why would I let her drive my truck?! Something's wrong with me. _

When the school day ends, Nelly wrestles my car keys out of my hands and situates herself in the driver's seat while I begrudgingly take shotgun.

"You're going to have to tell me where to go," she says.

"Didn't Lysander tell you where they live?"

"Well, yes, but it'll be easier if you just tell me where to go. Then I won't crash your truck because I won't be looking at the directions on my phone." I have to admit, she's got a point, there.

"Fine. You go straight until you get to Evergreen Lane, then you turn there. Turn right twice and then left once, and then it's the third house on the right on Winslow Court."

"Alright, hotshot, I'm never going to remember that. Just tell me as we go."

"It's not that complicated."

"Well, you've been there a million times."

"You should've just let me drive."

"And pass up this amazing opportunity? No way!" Nelly starts the engine and follows my directions to Lysander and Leigh's house.

The two brothers live in a mansion of a house because Leigh makes loads of money off of his clothing store. It's a Victorian style house, predictably, and is three stories high including the basement. The rooms are all wide and open, and if you shout, your voice echoes throughout the entire house. There's lots of old Shakespeare books lying around all the time, and a baby grand piano in the living room. Some of the windows reach all the way to the ceiling, so they mostly live off of natural light. I've never gotten a chance to fully explore Lysander's house, but I'm positive that if I were to look around, I'd find an old manuscript or ancient coins or vintage artifacts that would make me a billionaire. I've never said this to Lysander though; he might decide to do it himself. Leigh owns the house now, but the couple he bought it off of seemed like serious collectors.

There are several cars already parked out front, but I don't know whose. I'm not entirely sure who all is coming. I know that Armin is, but whether or not he's bringing Alexy was still undecided last I heard. They don't really spend a whole lot of time together in the first place. Kim is coming, probably because of Nelly, and Violette. From what I understood from Lys, Leigh doesn't want it to be a big thing.

Nelly stares up at the fancy house in awe as she parks. She manages not to crash.

"Have you ever even talked to Rosalya?" I ask her, realizing that I've never seen them together.

"No, I don't really know her at all," Nelly admits. "But she seems like she's probably pretty nice, right? I just agreed to come because Lysander invited me and Kim was going." I can't help but notice that my name isn't on the list of reasons. She probably did it on purpose. I haven't been exactly "smooth" lately.

"Hello, Castiel," Leigh greets us at the door. He looks the same as always, with his long black hair, blank expression, and Victorian outfit. "Is this Nelly?" he asks, looking at the girl at my side.

"Yeah, this is the princess," I reply gruffly, pushing Nelly inside.

"Pleased to make your acquaintance," Leigh says politely, holding out his hand. Nelly grins at him and shakes it firmly.

"The pleasure is mine, good sir," she says, putting on a mock British accent and curtsying. Leigh gives her a little half smile and returns to the rest of the guests. It seems we're the last ones here. As it turns out, Alexy did decide to come, and he and Violette are talking at the counter, absentmindedly snacking on potato chips. Kim takes Nelly away from me almost right away by complimenting her boots, and I grab a fistful of chips from the bowl before hunting down Lysander, who is currently hiding in a corner with an ancient book.

"You're being awfully antisocial," I comment, knocking the book out of his hand.

"Just waiting for you," he says, looking up and seeing Nelly across the room with Kim, talking to Armin. "When did she get here?"

"I gave her a ride."

"Why? She has a car."

"I don't know. Talking to her takes my mind off things." I haven't told him yet about what happened with Deborah and Nelly and the band, or how my lips are still tingling two days later from her kiss, but I think he's inferred a lot of it.

It was all so surreal. First Deborah was singing on the stage, and then I was holding Nelly. And it felt different, but not necessarily in a bad way. And then when I saw Victor, I instantly felt like I needed to protect her from him. Until I started talking to Deborah, that is. Then I totally forgot about Nelly. I remember every word of mine and Deborah's conversation.

"I've really missed you," she had said, wrapping her arms around me as soon as we were outside.

"I've missed you, too," I whispered against her ear.

"I wish there was a way we could still be together and you could still be in the band," she said. "Sam can't handle playing lead. I still haven't been able to figure out why they hate you..."

"It's okay," I replied. "We can still be together without me in the band." At that point, Deborah pulled away and pierced my skull with her luminous blue eyes. My heart sunk when she shook her head.

"No, we can't," she said sadly. "Cas, we're constantly traveling. I never get to see you. I'm always with the band, and everyone except Sam wants to rip your throat out. I guess someone blamed you for spreading all those rumors about them or something..."

"I never said any of those things, Deborah! Why can't they see that?"

"I don't know! But what are you talking about, anyways? Wasn't that girl in there..."

"Who, Nelly? She's nothing," I had told her.

"It didn't look like nothing from the stage." I cursed myself, realizing that my plant to make Deborah jealous might have worked a little too well.

"It was nothing compared to this," I had said, bringing her lips to mine. And instantly, I was thrown back in time, back to when everything was okay. I lost myself in her kiss, completely oblivious to anything and everything that was going on around us.

And then the little princess showed up.

I can't remember ever having been angrier at anyone for anything, except maybe Nathaniel. My fake girlfriend had ruined my moment with my real one. I was mad, and I took it out on Nelly. She wasn't too happy either, and found it necessary to go on and on about Sam. I couldn't think about anything except my anger and Deborah until Nelly started talking about Victor, and how he had basically tried to rape her. It would have been bad enough had he not still been under the belief that she was _my_ girlfriend, and only then did I remember what I had accidentally subjected her to when I left. In addition to that, I felt a sharp pain in my chest when she said he had kissed her, like he had stolen something. So I went back and knocked some sense into that bastard, but I didn't really know who I was doing it for.

I didn't know what was going on, or what these feelings about Nelly were morphing into, and I was too scared to try and find out, but I didn't want to leave her in the dust, either. I didn't want to sacrifice her company on the rooftop. So I decided to try and think of her as my little sister, and it's been working for the most part, but her smile still retains its magical ability to light up my entire day, and I'm still trying to figure out what color her eyes are. Still, when I think about Deborah, Nelly disappears.

Lysander's low, almost monotonic voice transports me back through time and to the present.

"Look, there's Rosa." She walks inside without knocking, so we don't have time to hide. As soon as she comes in and sees us all, she gives Leigh a quizzical glance.

"What's going on?" she asks.

"We decided to have a little get-together for your birthday," Leigh replies, putting his arm around his girlfriend's shoulder. Rosa's eyes light up.

"Really? That's so sweet!" Rosalya stands on her toes to peck Leigh on the cheek. Lysander leaves my side and goes to get Nelly, bringing her up to Rosa.

"This is Nelly, I don't believe you two have met." Rosa grins and shakes Nelly's hand.

"Nice to meet, you, I'm Rosalya," she says. "I feel like I've seen you before…?"

"Oh, yeah, well we're in the same classes."

"Right! How could I forget that hair?" Rosalya reaches out and takes a strand of Nelly's hair in her fingers. "It's so pretty!"

"Oh, uh, thanks," Nelly says awkwardly, trying to smile. "Well, happy birthday."

"Thanks!" Rosalya turns back to Leigh. "So, what're we gonna do?"

"Whatever you want to do, sunshine," he answers, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"Can I eat chips?" Rosa requests, eyeing the giant bowl on the counter. Without really waiting for an answer, she bounces over and starts munching.

The next twenty minutes pass without anything exciting happening. I go outside to get my new acoustic and Lysander and we go hide in his room and work on a song. It's coming along quite nicely, and it actually sounds good with the acoustic.

A little while later, Leigh comes upstairs to get us.

"We're actually going to do something now," he says. "Rosa wants to play Truth or Dare."

"Truth or Dare?" I laugh snidely. "We haven't played that since fifth grade."

"Rosa and Nelly seem to think it will be fun. And let's be honest, unless we want to watch some ridiculous romantic comedy, it's our only option." Lysander and I exchange glances. Watch a romantic comedy with a bunch of our high school friends and Rosalya and Leigh? No thanks.

"So, Truth or Dare?" I say, suddenly very interested in the idea. "Sounds fun."

"Darn right it does," Leigh agrees with a smile. "Come on." I sigh and follow Leigh and Lysander downstairs. The lamps are actually on because it's starting to get dark, and everyone is sitting in a circle waiting for us. Leigh sits down next to Rosa, and Lysander sits next to him, making the only other spot available next to Nelly. _Typical._ She glances up at me and smiles, and suddenly I'm okay with playing this game.

But that's about to go away.

"Okay, I wanna go first!" Rosalya says excitedly. She looks around the circle, but everyone knows that she's going to pick her boyfriend. "Leigh," she says finally, "truth or dare?"

"Truth," he says without hesitation. I can't see Leigh doing a dare, ever.

"Hmmm, okay. How many girls did you date before me?" Everyone laughs and looks to Leigh expectantly.

"Oh, umm..." Leigh looks around uncomfortably. "Two, I believe. Yes, two."

"Two, huh?" Rosa grins suggestively. "What were their names?"

"Mariah and Vanessa."

"How long did you date them?" Rosa leans into Leigh's shoulder and grins devilishly. She's certainly having fun with this.

"Ahem, I believe I'm only required to answer one question, and I've answered two," Leigh says. "Why don't we move on?"

"Good idea," Alexy pipes up. "I'll go next! Rosa, truth or dare?"

"Truth."

"How many guys did you date before Leigh?" Oh, that's classic. Rosalya's face turns bright red and Leigh smiles.

"Ummm, I don't remember."

"Come on, Rose!" Alexy prods her. "Leigh answered it for you!"

"Alright, alright, fine..." Rosalya looks up and counts on her fingers. "Um, eight."

"Wow, you certainly get around," Kim comments.

"Yeah, yeah, whatever, moving on!" Rosalya says, waving her hands in the air before she gets asked anything else. "Kim, you go next."

"Alright..." Kim glances around before her eyes land on Nelly, who's sitting right beside her. "Truth or dare?"

"Dare," Nelly replies boldly. Kim rubs her hands together, concocting an evil plan. My heart stops when her eyes land on me, and I already know what the dare is going to be. _Please don't, Kim..._

"I dare you to kiss Castiel for..." she glances at her watch, "thirty seconds."

"Oooh..." everyone reacts simultaneously, and I find myself scowling at Kim. Nelly is beside me cracking up.

"Okay, hotshot," she giggles. "Come here." Why does she not seem the slightest bit affected by this?! She scoots closer to me and leans in. I jerk away reflexively.

"Aw, come on, Castiel," Armin laughs. "She's not _that_ bad looking. What, are you scared?"

"Ha, thanks Armin," Nelly chuckles. "Seriously, Cas, it's just a game." She takes my face in her hands, and only then do I realize that her hands are shaking slightly. Apparently she _is_ affected, she's just better at hiding it than I am. Well, that's about to change; I won't let her be braver than me. I shove my emotions aside, as well as all images of Debrah, and close the distance between us, crushing my lips against hers. _Who's scared now?_ She gasps, but eventually she melts into me and I put my hands on either side of her face, tilting my head so I can kiss her better.

As soon as our lips touch, I completely forget that it's Nelly I'm kissing. I'm lost in the moment, and the only thing that matters is kissing this girl. This amazing, talented, _beautiful _girl...there's something stirring in my chest that I haven't felt with anyone else.

I pull her closer as she messes with my hair, twirling it in her fingers. She's still not close enough, so I pull her closer as our kiss transforms from experimental to possessive. This girl is _mine. I want her._

Suddenly, I feel Nelly being ripped away from me. And then there's laughter. And then I open my eyes to see everyone absolutely cracking up and Nelly looking very confused.

"What just happened?" she asks. Kim taps her watch, still laughing.

"Waaay over the time limit, little girl," she manages. Color rises to Nelly's cheeks, and she avoids making eye contact with me.

"I'm tired of this game," Rosalya says, and we all breathe a sigh of relief. "Why don't we watch _The Proposal?_ Violette brought it, wasn't that sweet?" Everyone groans as she pulls it out of Violette's bag. "What? It's my party, isn't it?"

Well, if it gets the focus off of Nelly and I, I'm all for it. And by 'all for it' I mean going back to Lysander's room and writing some more. Leigh starts up the movie while we sneak back upstairs.

"Glad that's over," I growl, strumming a random chord while Lysander hunts for his notebook. He smiles knowingly in my direction.

"I'm sure," he remarks sarcastically.

"You shut it," I snap. Lysander kicks his book out from under his bed and bends down to pick it up. How it ended up down there, I have no idea.

"Sorry, just being honest," Lysander says, grinning like an idiot. I sigh and drop my guitar on the bed.

"It just doesn't make any sense!" I complain. I proceed to tell him the entire story of the concert, and I end up saying a lot more than I mean to because Lysander doesn't interrupt at all. He's a good listener, but sometimes I wish he would stop me from saying things I regret. Like now, for instance. I feel like a girl spilling my guts like this.

"I...I think I _like_ Nelly," I finish. "But I still love Deborah."

"Castiel..." Lysander sighs, sitting down next to me, "Don't yell at me, but from what I can tell, the person you love is Nelly. All Deborah ever did was make you upset. She's not even here, and she's still making you upset."

"But I've only known Nelly for two weeks," I protest.

"How long did it take Romeo and Juliet to fall in love? Besides, you haven't seen Deborah in months, except for at the concert, and it doesn't sound like she wanted to get back together."

"You're the one who said Romeo and Juliet weren't really in love."

"I needed a unique take," Lysander shrugs. "Shakespeare says they were, and I believe him."

"So...you're saying I should give Nelly a shot?"

"Well, that's up to you, but you like each other. If you didn't, you wouldn't have...kissed the way you did."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"Castiel, don't tell me you didn't feel it, because we all _saw_it. She was like putty in your hands when you kissed her." When _I_ kissed her. That's what happened.

"Maybe _you_ should kiss her then, see if she does it for everybody," I suggest, trying in vain to keep the conversation light. I really don't like talking about my feelings. Lysander narrows his eyes in response. "Yeah, you're right, bad idea," I agree, looking away to avoid his piercing gaze.

"What're you going to do?" Lysander asks. I tell him to mind his own business and he smiles, scribbling more notes in his book. When I ask him what he's writing, he tells me to mind my own business too.

A couple hours later, Rosalya comes upstairs to tell us that everyone is getting ready to leave and that I need to come downstairs to drive Nelly back to her car. Oh. I had completely forgotten about that. _Why did I suggest that I drive her again? Oh, right, to keep the driveway clear. Nice one, Cas. This is gonna be really awkward._

Nelly gives both Kim and Rosalya hugs before we leave, so I guess she's friends with Rosa now. I stand by the door as she waves goodbye to Leigh and Lysander and thanks them for inviting her, and then she comes with me.

"Can I drive the truck again?" she asks immediately.

"Absolutely not."

We drive in complete silence until we get to the school, which is nice because it gives me some time to think about what I want to do. Do I want to keep obsessing over Deborah, who I may never see again, or do I want to try to move on and see what happens with Nelly? And is it _fair _to Nelly when I know I still feel something for Deborah? Or is that feeling just in my head, because what I felt with Nelly was indescribable. Was _that _just in my head?

As I'm thinking, I realize that I need answers to these questions to figure out what to do, but I can only think of one way to start searching for those answers. I need to kiss her again, but this time without the pressure that comes with being surrounded by our peers, and without the kiss being a dare.

When we get to school, I park right next to her little red car in the otherwise empty parking lot, my heart beating a million miles a minute.

"Thanks for the ride," she says, getting out of the car. I get out too, and she looks at me with a perplexed expression. "I can get into my car myself, thanks," she says, coming around. Okay, it's now or never. I _need _to know. I need to know I can feel that again with Nelly if I'm going to try to forget Deborah.

"Nelly, come here," I tell her, reaching to grab her hand before she disappears inside her car. "I want to try something."

"Now who's madly in love?" she teases, her bluish green eyes twinkling. But she doesn't protest, and stands facing me, our chests only inches apart. "What do you want to try?"

"Don't be stupid, princess, you know exactly what I want to try," I whisper, closing my eyes and leaning in. When her lips touch mine, I feel it again; that indescribable, overwhelmingly addicting feeling. I pull her against me so that the entire length of my body touches hers, and I move her hands from my chest to around my neck. Lysander was right; she_ is_ putty in my hands. Compared to this, Deborah's kisses almost seem forced. But Nelly...Nelly is just giving herself to me completely. And she's just confirmed that this feeling I get is exclusive. It only comes with her.

When we break the kiss, Nelly looks up at me and smiles, her eyes boring into mine. Damn, she's beautiful. How can I even compare what I had with Deborah to this?

_I can't. _

Can I really just let Deborah go? Is it that easy?

**Aaaand the real drama begins :) *evil laugh* I hope you liked it, as usual!  
**

**By the way, thanks for all the reviews last chapter! They really make my day :D  
**

**~Ava**


	9. The Picture

**NELLY CARTER**

Two months after the party at Lysander's, nothing has changed. Castiel and I sneak up to the roof every study hall period to let loose and joke around and jam on our guitars. Occasionally, we'll be sitting together on our bench and he'll hold me close, and I'll lean my head on his shoulder, and then, even _more_ occasionally, he'll lift up my chin and kiss me, but nothing's ever happened except that. We're not _together_, so there's no pressure to make myself love him, and besides, he doesn't want to be in a committed relationship. Friends with benefits; that's what we are. I keep telling myself I'm okay with that, even though Kim insists it'll end badly. I don't really care; it's not like we're going to get married, and if we're not going to get married, than it _will_ inevitably end at some point. My infatuation with Castiel hasn't gone away in two months, but I still don't believe in love. That would take a miracle.

We've both gotten a lot of notes from Nathaniel about skipping classes, but Castiel's learned to sign his without complaint, and I just forge my mom's signature. How my idiot stepfather is still oblivious to my ditching, I have no idea. I've been a complete angel at home, so I've got 'em both fooled. Simon doesn't even _know_ about me and Castiel. He might if he hadn't put us on opposite sides of the room.

I've also become pretty good friends with Rosalya. She can be a little creepy, meaning that she likes to stalk people and take candid photographs of them, boys in particular, but she gave me a picture of Castiel back from when he didn't wear as much leather and when his hair wasn't red. In the picture, he's looking down at his cell phone, with a soft expression on his face. I've seen it before, as he's used it occasionally when he's looking at me, but I've yet to figure out what it is. In all honesty, I'm a little bitter about that picture because Rosa and I are ninety-nine percent sure that he was texting his ex in it and I'd like to think that he's only used that expression on me, but sadly that is not the case.

I hate that girl so much, and I've never even really talked to her. I know my anger isn't justified, but still.

After first period today, Castiel and I grab our guitars from our lockers and head upstairs together. As soon as we're safely on the roof with the doors closed behind us, we sit on our bench and play chords back and forth, talking and gossiping. I've gotten good at predicting his sarcastic comments, and he's stopped getting angry at me for mine. He's actually started talking like a normal person, too; he doesn't answer every question with a snide remark anymore. His personality hasn't changed, but he lets his guard down a little bit when he's around me.

"How's Demon?" I ask, making conversation as we play. I've only met Castiel's dog on one occasion, and it's his fault I have scab on my elbow, but he was a pretty nice dog.

"Eh, he's alright," Castiel answers with a shrug. "I still feel bad about having to lock him up all day, though."

"Why don't you just leave him in the yard?"

"He'd probably jump over the fence and follow me to school. And even if he didn't, he'd still bark at every single car he saw or heard."

"If you got an invisible fence, though, he wouldn't be able to follow you. And you said you live on a lot of land, so the barking might not be that big of a deal."

"You'd be surprised at how many cars pass by my house in one day."

"Oh." Suddenly, I hear a clicking sound, and look around in search of it. "Did you hear that?"

"Yeah..." the clicking stops as suddenly as it started. "Hmm, that's weird."

"Very," I say, putting down my guitar and leaning against Castiel's shoulder. "Oh, well, it's gone now." Castiel puts his guitar down next to mine.

"And we've got a whole hour," he murmurs, running his fingers through my hair ever so gently. I was right; it does feel amazing. He has the most beautiful hands in the entire world, I swear.

"However will we pass the time..." I muse, looking around. When my eyes fall back onto Castiel, I grab hold of the collar of his jacket and kiss him, hard. He pulls me onto his lap and kisses me harder. _Friends with benefits._ The clicking sound comes back, but it's probably just the wind blowing one of the hanging plants back and forth against each other.

When I get home, I discover that I was wrong.

_"Eleanor!"_ Mom calls from the kitchen. "Come here!" Oh, gosh. What now? I prance into the kitchen with a fake smile plastered on my face, hoping that they'll water down the punishment for whatever I've done if I don't seem bratty.

"Yes?" My mother and Simon Faraize are both sitting at the kitchen table, an eight by ten piece of paper lying between them. Oh, did Nathaniel finally figure out I've been forging? That won't be good...

But it's not that at all. It's something much worse. In one swift movement, Simon lifts the piece of paper and shows it to me. Oh, God. It's not a letter or a notice or anything. It's a picture; a picture of me and Castiel on the roof this morning, to be exact. The clicking noise was a person! Someone was spying on us! My immediate thought is Rosa, but she wouldn't show that picture to Simon.

"Nelly, please explain this," Simon says, pointing to the picture. Whoever took it wanted me to get in trouble. It's a great picture, from the busting standpoint. You can clearly see me straddling Castiel, our lips pressed together in a passionate kiss. He has one hand gripping my thigh while the other is behind my neck, and I have one hand in his hair, the other is wrinkling his shirt where his chest is. There's no questioning that it's us because of our distinct hair colors. It's not exactly the picture you'd want to show your parents.

"Well," I begin awkwardly, "that's Castiel, my friend, and that's me."

"Your_friend,_ huh?" Mom says skeptically.

"When did this take place?" Simon interrogates me. "Where were you?"

"It, uh, took place this morning during study hall, and we were on the roof..." Maybe being completely honest will lessen my punishment, since smiling has gotten me nowhere thus far.

"How long has this been going on?"

"Two months? And where did you even get that?" Simon sighs in defeat and puts the picture down on the table.

"A student gave me the picture during lunch. I promised I wouldn't give their identity. But that's aside the point, Nelly! Skipping class, going places students aren't allowed? That would be bad enough all on its own, but Castiel is a bad influence! He's failing my class; he's hardly even there to begin with, he's a smoker, he's gotten into several fights with Nathaniel...he's got a reputation, Nelly! You don't want to be associated with him!"

"I'd rather be associated with _him_ than with _you!"_ I shout, dropping my angelic façade completely.

"ELEANOR!" Mom gasps. "Apologize immediately!"

"I will as soon as _he_ apologizes for badmouthing my friend!"

"Clearly he's much more than your friend, _dear!"_ Simon shouts back, referring to the picture.

"You know what? For _once,_ you're right! I like him! And he likes _me,_ and I don't give a _damn_ that you don't like _him! I_ don't like _you,_ and _you_ married my mother!" I yank the picture out of his hand, stomp outside and climb into my car, unsure of where to go until I think of Rosalya's house. I'd go to Kim's, but her dad is the size of a professional football player, and personally, he freaks me out. Rosa lives by herself in a little two bedroom apartment not far from the clothing store where she met Leigh. Like Castiel, her parents pay for her to live there since they move around so much. I am _not_ going back home, so maybe she'll let me stay the night.

I knock on the door to Rosalya's apartment, and she answers almost immediately.

"Oh! Nelly! What're you doing here?" She invites me inside without waiting for an answer.

"Trouble at home. Do you mind?" I ask, gesturing towards the second bedroom.

"Oh, you poor thing!" she coos, giving me a hug. "No, not at all! Did you bring anything? No? That's okay, I should have some things for you to wear to school tomorrow. Leigh makes me a lot of clothes, but only about half of them actually fit."

"Thanks, Rosa," I sigh. "Leigh's not coming over tonight or anything, right? I don't want to crash a movie date."

"Nah, you're good. Our movie dates are on Friday's, that way he can sleep over," she says with a giggle.

"Very subtle," I say sarcastically.

"Sorry. Just wanted to tell _someone._ Hey, so I was just gonna have some microwave stuff for dinner, that cool with you?"

"Absolutely."

"Great! You have no idea how great it is to have company, honestly." I help Rosa microwave a few little things for us to eat and we sit down at the table. "So, what happened?"

"It's kind of a long and embarrassing story..."

"Don't worry. You just found out Leigh sleeps over sometimes; it can't get much worse."

"I don't know about that. But, fine. Okay, so Castiel and I-"

"I _knew_ it had something to do with Castiel!" Rosalya exclaims, cutting me off. "Sorry. Continue."

"No more interrupting. Okay, so Castiel and I like to skip study hall and go up onto the roof to play guitar. Nothing serious has ever happened, but sometimes he kisses me or I kiss him, or..._you know."_ I can feel my face getting red, but Rosa doesn't seem fazed at all.

"Go on," she encourages me.

"Well, we were up there today, and we heard this clicking noise. It stopped after a few seconds, so we didn't think much of it. So then I kissed him, right? And we heard it again, or at least I did, but I still didn't think much of it. And then I come home to find out that someone gave this to Si- uh, Mr. Faraize." I take the crinkled picture out of my bag and show it to Rosa. Her hand flies to her mouth.

"Oh...that's a little creepy, Nel." I don't bother to mention that it's equally creepy that she has a picture of Nathaniel sleeping and really shouldn't be talking, but only because she's letting me stay the night.

"Yeah, I know. But then everyone started yelling at me about how I shouldn't give him the time of day because he does all these bad things, and I just didn't really feel like listening. So here I am."

"I didn't realize you and Cas were officially together."

"We're not. We're..." I pause, not knowing what to say. "It's complicated." Rosalya sighs and rests her chin in her hands.

"Nel, you need to figure it out, then. With Castiel, if things are complicated they're not going to work. You just need to be honest with him about how you feel, and if he doesn't feel the same way, you need to move on. I mean, you want it to be _something _more serious than stolen kisses on the roof, don't you?"

"I don't know," I admit. "I think he's still hung up on his ex. And I've never really believed in love, anyways."

"YOU'VE NE-" Rosa cuts herself off to calm down. "You've never believed in love!? What're you gonna do then, have an arranged marriage?"

"No, of course not," I say defensively. "I just don't think it exists."

"Darling, it _exists,"_ Rosalya insists. "You wanna know how I know? Because I'm in love with Leigh, Nelly. I _love_ Leigh. If it didn't exist, I wouldn't be able to feel that. It's real, I promise."

"Well, maybe it is, but it doesn't last," I argue. "People think they're in love, and then after fifteen years or so they get tired of each other."

"If it's real love it lasts," Rosalya says. "But do you even have a _crush_ on him? Castiel, I mean."

"Yes." I've known that for a long time.

"Are you always looking for excuses to be alone with him and talk to him or touch him or kiss him?"

"Uh, well..."

"Did you put that picture I gave you on your dresser?"

"Maybe..."

"When you look at it, are you mad that he's texting Deborah in that picture instead of you?"

"Rosa, are you secretly a telepath?"

"No, darling. I just happen to be an excellent matchmaker."

"Is that so?"

"Yes! I almost got Melody and Nathaniel together one time!" Rosalya says proudly.

"Almost, huh?" I smirk.

"Yes! But my point is, if you feel this way about Castiel, you need to find out if he really feels the same way or if he really _is_ still obsessed with Deborah. And from there, you're going to need to either take a step forward or a step backwards. And by forward, I mean make it official. It's not like you can hide it that much longer, I mean, whoever took that picture probably has more than one copy, and your stepdad knows you skip class now. You're not gonna be able to get away with it again."

I hate it when she's right.

"Fine," I sigh. "But I don't have to tell him tomorrow, do I?" Tomorrow is Wednesday.

"Nah. I'd tell him on Friday, that way if there's good news you can go on a date, and if it's bad news you've got a couple days to get over it."

"That's...a really good idea, actually. Thanks, Rosa."

"No problem. I'm great with guys; I've dated eight, after all. Now if you don't mind, I'm exhausted. I'm going to bed. I put one of my nightgowns on the other bed; it's too small for me, but it might fit you."

"Okay, thanks. I'm gonna go to bed, too." I thank her again for letting me stay as we clean up our food, and then we go our separate ways.

The nightgown Rosalya has laid out for me is gorgeous, although it's nothing like what I would normally wear. It's super short, reaching only to about the middle of my thigh, and fits me like a glove. The spaghetti straps keep falling off of my shoulders, which is slightly annoying, but it's not like anyone is going to see me. I climb into bed and fall asleep easily.

"Nelly! Nelly, come on, wake up!" I'm shaken awake by Rosalya seemingly the instant I fall asleep.

"Five more minutes," I grumble irritably. "What time is it?"

"Already six. We've got to get you ready!"

"We?"

"Well, we have to find something for you to wear, don't we? And I have to do your hair and makeup too, because if you're going to be wearing my clothes, you're going to look good."

"Rosa...I didn't sign up for that," I protest weakly.

"My house, my rules. Now get up, sleepyhead! I have cinnamon toaster waffles!" My stomach growls at the sound of that. Okay, I can deal with a little bit of makeup. It's not like Rosalya herself wears a whole lot anyways, how bad can it possibly be? It's the clothes I'm more worried about; I don't really want to look like a Victorian vampire.

After we eat, Rosalya takes me into her closet, which is basically its own room. I've never seen so many clothes in one place except for the mall, and Rosa giggles when she sees me expression.

"Isn't it fabulous?" she says, waving her hand around. "Of course, like I said, only about half of the things in here actually fit, but Leigh loves to give me things. Like this," she adds, holding out her hand. On it glitters a sparkling diamond ring in the shape of a rose.

"That's beautiful," I say honestly, amazed that Leigh would buy her such expensive things.

"I know. I never take it off unless I'm swimming or something."

"Yeah, well you wouldn't want to lose it. So, what am_ I_ wearing?"

"Hmmmm..." Rosa examines her closet, finally deciding on a simple plum dress with cap sleeves and fake bronze buttons across the top. She hands it to me. "I don't guess you want to go to school in a tie like me, do you?"

"Nope," I reply, taking the dress gratefully. It's actually not too bad.

"Okay, well I think that should fit you, so go put it on!" I obey, and when I come back Rosa has already picked out shoes and jewelry.

"Uh, Rosa, I don't really want to wear heels..." I say nervously, looking at the tall lace-up ankle boots she's picked out.

"I don't care. You're not wearing flip flops with that dress. Here." She thrusts the shoes at me and drapes a tassle necklace around my neck as I force my feet into the shoes. While I do like the view from four inches higher, I can't walk at all, and I'm pretty sure my feet are already plotting their revenge. Rosalya's argument is that I owe her, though, so I guess I'm stuck.

After I'm dressed, Rosa picks out her own outfit, which is pretty much the same thing as she wears every day, and then whisks me off to the bathroom, where she does hers and my makeup, despite my protestations. When she's done, I'm wearing a thick layer of eyeliner and mascara, as well as a pale pink lipstick and bronze eyeshadow, while all she's wearing is mascara and lipgloss. She wants me to be her personal Barbie doll, apparently. For my hair, she insists on straightening it, and arranges it in a perfect side part so that it falls just past my shoulders in a silky sheet instead of rippling curls. I hardly recognize myself, but I like it. In some twisted, abnormal way, it looks good.

Rosalya glances at the digital clock on the wall and screams.

"We're gonna be late! Your hair took too long! Come on!" Oh, no. I cannot be late the day I decided to run out on my family and sleep at my friend's house. That would not be good. "You're not staying tonight, are you?" Rosa asks, running out to her car.

"Um, I don't know. Can I just ride with you and then if I'm not I'll come get my car?" I ask.

"Yeah, that's fine! And if you wanna stay again that's totally cool." We pile in and start the engine. "Just not on Friday night," she finishes with a wink. "Unless you want to invite Castiel over, of course. I might be able to live with that." I scowl and slap her arm as she pulls out of the apartment building's parking lot and heads down the road to school.

Turns out Rosa's clock was fifteen minutes fast. Apparently, she has a tendency to be late, so she sets her clock ahead and always forgets that she did it. Why she needs fifteen whole minutes, I don't know. Anyways, we're fifteen minutes early, and most of the senior class is just lounging around in the courtyard.

"Well, _you_ look absolutely _ridiculous,"_ Amber says, approaching us. As usual, she's flanked by Li and Charlotte. She's taken to insulting me lately for some reason. It doesn't bother me; it's kind of pathetic though. Amber gives me a once over, makes her judgment and then seems to notice Rosalya. "Oh," she huffs, "nevermind. It makes sense now. But that hair..." she reaches out and flicks a pin-straight strand off my shoulder, "now that's just sad."

"What do you want, Amber?" I sigh, crossing my arms over my chest.

"I just wanted to show you something." She reaches into her pocket and pulls out her phone. After punching in a few buttons, she shows it to me and I gasp. _She's_the one who took the picture! How did I not know that!? I recover quickly and try to maintain a nonchalant expression.

"So what?"

"Soooo, _missy,_ I told you in the beginning of the year to stay away from my boyfriend!"

_"Puh-lease._ He's not your boyfriend. He's never shown any interest in asking you out."

"He just hasn't dared yet." This actually gets a laugh out of me.

_"Dared?_ Are you kidding? Sorry, honey, he's not interested."

"And I suppose you think he's interested in _you?"_ she cries indignantly.

"Judging by the looks of that, I'd say he is!" Rosalya chimes in for me, pointing to the picture with a wide grin. "Now get lost!" Amber's nostrils flare and she hands her phone off to Li, who drops a tube of lipstick to take it. She takes a threatening step towards me, and I make a break for it, dashing past her towards the fence where Kim is waiting. Kim can beat her up for me.

Unfortunately, I forgot that I'm wearing heels.

"Ahhh!" I trip over a pebble and collapse on the concrete sidewalk, twisting my ankle and skinning my knee. Rosa rushes over to me and tries to help me up, but my ankle won't support my weight. Amber, on the other hand, takes her own sweet time in getting over.

_"Karma,"_ she says in a singsong voice. "Told you you shouldn't have been messing around with my boyfriend."

"Amber, shove off," I groan, massaging my sore ankle and looking around for a teacher or someone to get me to the nurse. "Castiel is_ not_ going to date you."

"Besides, Nelly's prettier than you," Rosalya snaps, glancing up at the obnoxious blonde. I try to shush her, but I'm too slow, and that's the last straw for Amber. She inhales deeply and glares at me, her eyes wide and angry.

"Oh yeah?" she shouts. "Let's see how pretty you are with a black eye, then!" She raises her fist and Rosa ducks behind me. I hold up a hand to shield myself, but I can't move...

Suddenly, I feel a new presence at my side and a hand around my waist.

"Woah, there, Amber! Don't you even think about hurting my girlfriend, or you're really gonna get it," Castiel's voice says firmly. His...girlfriend? I wave the term away; it's just another charade.

"Your girlfriend?!" Amber roars. "When did _that _happen?"

"What, do you live under a rock, Amber?" Castiel sneers. I don't look up from my swollen ankle, but I hear Amber sniff and run away.

"Thanks, hotshot," I mange, rubbing my ankle.

"Next time don't wear those silly shoes," he snickers in response.

"Hey, little girl, you alright?" Kim calls, running up behind Castiel.

"Yeah, I think I'll be fine, I just need to get some ice on this..." I say, gesturing towards my ankle.

"It has to be me, doesn't it?" Castiel groans. He slides one arm under my knees and one around my back, picking me up and cradling me in his arms. He carries me into the school, where we're immediately joined by Lysander, and now I have a whole entourage as we head to the nurse's office.

**We all love Amber, don't we? Kidding :) Hope you liked it, remember to review!**

**~Ava**


	10. The New Girl

**CASTIEL MASON**

I carry Nelly into the nurse's office with Kim, Rosa, and Lysander all following me. For the new girl, Nelly's gotten pretty popular. I ask Lysander to go ahead and tell the nurse that we're coming, and he obliges, decreasing the size of our rather conspicuous group by one.

"Are you feeling any better yet, Nelly?" Rosalya asks frantically. "I can't believe Amber, she's such a...a..._female dog!"_

"Rosa, it's your fault I'm wearing these shoes, and if I hadn't been wearing them I wouldn't have tripped," Nelly says weakly. She has enough energy to smile though, and I smirk, thinking about what things were like at Rosalya's this morning.

_"Nelly, get into those shoes right now!"_

_"I don't want to."_

_"You have to, or you can't wear that dress!"_

_"Fine, I'll go in my birthday suit, then!"_

_"Over my dead body!"_

_"...That can be arranged."_

I don't know how Rosa managed to win out on that one. But I don't know how Nelly ended up at Rosa's in the first place, either.

"What's so funny?" Kim inquires. I shake my head, wiping a goofy smile off of my face.

"None of your business."

"Fine, sorry. How ya doing, little girl?" Nelly rolls her eyes, sick off all the attention, and turns her head into my chest, nestling her face in my jacket. Being the sentimental _idiot_ that I am, I find myself wondering if she can hear my heartbeat. I'm tempted to not take her to the nurse at all and just go up to the roof where I can hold her close, but with all these people around expecting medical attention, that's not going to happen.

Just as we're approaching the nurse's office, Lysander comes out from behind the door and waves me in, but motions for everyone else to stay put.

"There's not a whole lot of room in there," he explains. "I'm actually gonna stay out here, too. She's right inside, Castiel."

"Thanks," I reply. Lysander holds open the door and I take Nelly in.

I've never been in the clinic; there are more fun ways to skip class than pretending to be sick, but Lysander was right, it is small in here. The nurse, a stout woman with frizzy black hair and glasses takes note of our entrance and rushes over.

"Is this the girl with the sprained ankle?" she asks, examining Nelly's feet and slipping off her shoes. I'm about to answer, but she does it herself. "Oh, oh yes it is. It's very swollen. Come here, young man, just set her down right here, that's right..." According to the nurse's instructions, I put Nelly on one of two hospital beds that's been propped up with pillows. She smiles up at me, but winces when the nurse picks up her foot to put it on a pillow.

"You okay?" I ask her.

"Yeah," she gasps as the nurse examines her ankle. "Just really hurts."

"It's not broken, is it?" I ask the nurse.

"Oh, no, it's just a bad sprain. What happened, exactly?"

"I was running in my high heels," Nelly explains, "and I tripped."

"Now, why on earth would you be running in heels?" the nurse laughs, retrieving an ice pack and putting it on Nelly's ankle.

"Well, someone was mad at me and I thought she was going to hit me, so I ran away." The nurse raises her head and furrows her brow, looking back and forth from me to Nelly.

"Someone was going to hit you?" she asks, concerned. "Are you serious?" She glances at me for the answer.

"She's serious," I reply.

"Oh, well, that's not good. And I'm actually required to… Honey, can you give me your home phone number?" The nurse crosses over and takes an ancient looking phone off of a box on the wall, waiting for Nelly to recite a number.

"There's really no point. Mr. Faraize is my stepfather," Nelly says.

"Oh! We'll have to get him immediately, then! Young man," she says, addressing me, "would you please go get Mr. Faraize?" I want to say no, because Mr. Faraize hates me, but I can tell that her asking is only a courtesy. I'm going whether I want to or not.

"Yeah, I guess," I grumble. I exit the room and go back out into the hall, where Lysander and Rosalya are talking, Kim standing nearby looking like an awkward third wheel. They glance up when I come out.

"She okay?" Kim asks immediately.

"I think so. She said something about a sprain, but I have to go get Mr. Faraize." Right then, the bell rings to go to class.

"I guess we're coming with you," Lysander chuckles. Kim leads the way down the hall to Mr. Faraize's classroom. When we get there, the only two students already here are Katherine and Nathaniel. I shoot our dear President a hateful glance just because I can before approaching Mr. Faraize behind his desk.

"Mr. Faraize," I say dryly, "Nelly is in the clinic."

"NELLY'S _HERE?!"_ Mr. Faraize jumps out of his seat and slides his glasses up his nose. "Where is she?"

"In the _clinic,"_ I repeat, resisting the urge to punch him for not listening. "She sprained her ankle this morning and was almost punched in the face. Not to brag or anything, but I saved her."

"I just can't believe she's actually here! Nathaniel, Katherine, one of you is in charge! Come along, Mr. Mason." Mr. Faraize rushes towards the door, leaving Katherine and Nathaniel looking very confused, and Kim cracking up. I shrug, taking any excuse to leave a classroom with Natty boy in charge, and follow the nutcase back to the clinic. I actually have to jog to keep up.

"NELLY!" Mr. Faraize shouts, rushing into the clinic and throwing his arms around his stepdaughter. "Your mother and I were so worried! We had no idea where you were and you wouldn't answer your phone..."

"Oh...that," Nelly says sheepishly, pushing him away with a disgusted expression. "Yeah, my phone died." Ha. No it didn't.

"Well, where the hell were you?"

"That's classified."

"Nelly!"

"What's important is that I'm fine, right?"

"You're clearly not fine! Mr. Mason tells me you almost got hit and that you have a sprained ankle!"

"Well, _Mr. Mason_ would be correct, and I'll have you know that if it weren't for him I would also have-"

"I hate to break this up," the nurse interrupts, "but yes, Nelly does have a sprained ankle and I would recommend her not walking on it for several days. In addition, this young man told me that Nelly fell while running from a girl who intended to strike her."

Okay, being referred to as "mister" and "young man" is really getting old. I'm starting to appreciate being called "hotshot."

"I think it's important that we find out who this girl was and ensure that she doesn't do it again, don't you agree, Simon?" the nurse finishes. Mr. Faraize nods.

"Yes, I agree completely, Ramona. Nelly, who was this girl?"

"Amber King," she says bitterly. Mr. Faraize's eyes go wide as they flicker back and forth from me to his stepdaughter. I can tell from Nelly's smug expression and Mr. Faraize's panicked eyes that there's something else going on here that I don't know about, but now isn't the time to bring it up.

"Amber wanted to hit you?" he asks Nelly gently, reaching out to stroke her newly straightened hair. I'm just now noticing it. Nelly slaps his hand away before he can touch her.

"Yes, Amber wanted to hit me!" she says irritably. Mr. Faraize turns to face me, looking very confused.

"And you...you stopped this?" he questions. I nod curtly, crossing my arms and narrowing my eyes, trying to figure out what's going on here. "How?"

I see Nelly mouthing, "Tell him the truth," in my peripheral vision, and decide to go ahead and see what happens.

"I told Amber that she'd better stay away from my girlfriend or she was gonna get it," I say stiffly, looking Mr. Faraize straight in the eyes. His expression softens as he looks back and forth from me to Nelly. Ah, I see, now. They've been having arguments about her hanging around me. But that still doesn't explain why Amber's name set him off.

"Thank you," Nelly mouths.

"Oh my, so much drama!" the nurse sighs, her hand on her heart. "Well, Simon, I think a few days of detention for Miss King will do the trick, but of course that's not my job. In any case, if it's at all possible, I think Miss Nelly should get a quick x-ray at the hospital to get some professional treatment and instruction. Is your wife available to take her?"

"Yes! I should probably call her, actually..." Mr. Faraize punches in his wife's number and puts the phone to his ear. "Honey! Honey, Nelly's at school. Yes, she's fine! No, she won't tell me where she was...she said it was classified. Yes, of course you can talk to her, but there's actually been an incident...would you mind taking her to the hospital to get an x-ray? No! No, nothing's broken, she's fine! Just a sprained ankle, but the nurse said...I know, I know. Okay. Okay, here she is." Mr. Faraize hands the phone off to a very annoyed Nelly and tugs on the sleeve of my jacket, silently telling me to follow him. He pulls me out into the hallway and closes the door to the clinic. Well, this is weird...

"I wanted to thank you, Castiel," he says, calling me by my name for the first time in history. "Thank you for helping Nelly. I don't know what Amber has against her, but-"

"Mr. Faraize?" I interrupt. "Is there something else Amber did, because I'm totally lost."

"Oh, uh..." Mr. Faraize shifts his weight nervously and slides his glasses up his nose. "It appears Miss King was snooping around yesterday taking photographs, and she made a point of venturing to the roof..." he pauses and makes eye contact to see if I understand. _Oh, shit._ Seriously? That's a new low, even for Amber. "I- I might have went off on Nelly about it," he continues awkwardly, "and then she just..._left,_ and we had no idea where she was..." he glances up at me suspiciously. "She wasn't with _you,_ was she?" I have to laugh at his stupidity.

"She tripped wearing high heels. High heels that _don't belong to her,_ nonetheless. Now, I live by myself, Mr. Faraize; do you honestly think I have girl shoes lying around my house?" I suppose you could make the argument that my mom leaves a few of her shoes when she leaves, but that wouldn't be true. She packs everything. Mr. Faraize nods, grasping my point.

"Okay. I get it. You can get back to class. Just..." he looks straight at me again, "don't hurt her, okay?" I smirk involuntarily, realizing he has no idea how complicated our relationship really is. But at the same time, I don't want to hurt Nelly. I don't know if I could hurt a girl like her if I tried, but I do know that I don't want to be the one responsible if she ever cries. I know that her smile is too beautiful to be hidden behind a waterfall of tears.

I also know that I deserve a good beating for even thinking that. Why have I been so sentimental lately? Even though it's kind of my secret, it still seems embarrassing.

"Whatever," I say softly, glancing down at the tiled for. "Okay." Without waiting for the conversation to become even more awkward, I turn on my heels and stalk back to the classroom.

I remember too late that Natty boy and his new minion are in charge of the class in Mr. Faraize's absence. And Natty takes any job he is given very seriously.

"Castiel, please find your seat and open your textbook to page 521. We're just reading the story until Mr. Faraize comes back."

"Yes sir," I say in a mocking tone, sitting down next to Alexy. The walking rainbow isn't even reading. He's got his headphones on under his hood and is drumming his fingers on the desk, making a really annoying sound on the surface. I grab the textbook from the basket under my chair and drop it on top of my desk with a loud thud, attracting Katherine's attention from Mr. Faraize's desk. She narrows her eyes at me and I grin, satisfied now that I've annoyed her.

I don't even read the title of the story. Mr. Faraize comes back five minutes before the bell rings, so I'm guessing Nelly's mom came and picked her up. He still seems frazzled though. I wonder if Nelly knows how much Mr. Faraize really cares about her. The way he was so concerned about her being missing and about Amber hitting her, the way he was practically sobbing when he saw she was okay and how he thanked me for it, the way he made me promise never to hurt her, and the way he made me feel when he said that. He loves her like she's his own daughter, but she doesn't see it. All she sees is some man who came along to replace her father.

Maybe I'd think that too, if I was in her shoes. But right now, I feel like it would be really nice to have someone care that much if they thought I'd been hurt.

Rosalya joins Lysander and I for lunch today.

"How's Nelly?" she asks immediately.

"Her mom picked her up for an x-ray, but she's fine," I reply, taking a bit out of my sandwich.

"Am I correct to assume she was staying with you, Rosa? I think I remember Leigh making that dress," Lysander says.

"Yep! It didn't fit me, but it looked good on her, didn't it?" Yeah, yeah it did.

"Do you know why she came over?" Lysander asks._ I do..._

"Um, no, she didn't say." Rosa glances in my direction unintentionally, giving herself away. "I don't think she and Mr. Faraize get along very well, though."

"It must be pretty bad if she felt the need to stay with you," Lysander muses.

"Yeah, I guess," Rosalya shrugs. "But we had fun."

"You made her wear those shoes?" I laugh.

"They looked amazing on her! I did her hair and makeup too. She's never looked better, don't you agree, Cas?" Rosalya grins knowingly at me.

"What the hell are you trying to pull?" I snap. Now that she mentions it, though...

"Nothing," Rosa giggles. "So, Lys-baby..." Rosalya proceeds to drill Lysander about Leigh's two previous girlfriends, neither of which Lysander knows anything about.

"Rosa, I promise you Leigh did not give his last girlfriend a ring like yours!"

"Oh, _shoot!"_ Rosalya shouts suddenly. "Nelly's car! It's still at my apartment!" Lysander smirks.

"And why, may I ask, are you just now thinking about this?" he asks.

"I was showing Nelly my ring."

"Rosa...you're an idiot," I say.

"I know!" she agrees. "But how are we going to get her car?"

_"We?_ Sorry, you're doing this by yourself," I smirk, leaning back in my seat.

"Castiel, that's mathematically impossible," Lysander informs me.

"I don't even know where she lives..." Rosalya groans miserably.

"Just text her or something. She can drive with Mr. Faraize tomorrow if she comes, and then she can go home with you and get her car," I suggest. Rosa brightens.

"Oh! That'll work! Hang on..." she punches in a text to Nelly. Thirty seconds later, her phone vibrates on the table. Rosalya checks the message. "She says that's fine."

I go home that evening feeling lonelier than ever. I don't know what's wrong with me; I haven't felt this alone ever since Deborah and the band left school and I didn't have anyone to talk to anymore. That's not at all what's going on now. I have friends: Lysander and Rosalya, and I have Nelly. God, that whole situation is a problem. I've been making out with her for two consecutive months, and yet I still can't completely move on from Deborah. I'm still not sure what she is to me.

I reached the conclusion a long time ago that Nelly was different from Deborah. I've even decided that she's different in a good way. I _like_ being with Nelly, but there's still something holding me back. Why else would I kiss her once a week, and only on the roof where I was certain no one would find us? With Deborah, I didn't care who knew how I felt about her.

I think it's a psychological thing. Maybe I'm just scared of falling in love with Nelly like I did with Deborah, and then having her leave. I don't know if I could go through that again and come out okay. I mean, I quit guitar for months because of Deborah. I dyed my hair, completely changed my personality, and hid in my room until Demon finally got too restless to stay inside anymore. It was then that I met Lysander, and only then did things start to look up.

But what if it happened a second time? What if Nelly were to leave? And if I were to become even more attached to her than I was to Deborah, what would I do that time around, burn down the house? Start being a total bitch to everyone, _including_ the people I actually care about right now? Things hit me too hard- that's why I can't take the risk. I just can't make that step; I'm too scared.

There. I admit it. _I am scared._

It's not a good feeling.

Nelly is back the next day, although she has her foot wound up in some weird makeshift cast thing. Nothing's broken, she says, and they wanted her to have crutches, but there was no way she was walking around school with crutches. Instead, Kim walks with her to every class and carries the large majority of her books to make sure she doesn't kill herself. There's absolutely no way she can climb up to the roof by herself though, and even if she could, we would've been caught in a heartbeat. Mr. Faraize personally came and supervised study hall to make sure we were both there. It seems like he's forgotten all about our chummy conversation, but it's probably better that way; I don't need to be reminded of the time I was melted into pudding by my almost-girlfriend's stepfather and started comparing tears to waterfalls. _Not my finest hour._

In conclusion, Thursday passes by without anything of consequence happening. It's Friday when things start to get interesting.

Nelly got her car back, but she's letting Mr. Faraize drive her because of her foot. It seems to have gotten better, but she still walks with a hint of a limp. Her stepfather comes to her aid the second she steps out of the car and walks her over to our bench, where Lysander, Rosalya and I are waiting.

"You guys take care of her, alright? I've gotta go finish up today's lesson plan."

"Don't you think it's a little late for that?" Lysander says, amused. "Seeing as how class starts in ten minutes?"

"Mind your own business, Shakespeare," Mr. Faraize chortles good-naturedly. I guess he and Nelly have made up for the most part, because he's seemed like a happier person these last couple days. "Yes, I'll admit I'm a little behind. Plus, we'll be having to make some adjustments to the seating chart today. Would you believe me if I told you we have five new students today?"

_"Five?"_ Rosalya repeats, unbelieving. "On a Friday? At the same time?"

"Yeah, strange, right?" Mr. Faraize agrees. "But I really do have to go. See you guys in class." Mr. Faraize strides off in his usual overly rushed gait, leaving his treasure with us. Rosa keeps flicking Nelly and singing "Friday!" in her ear as if it means something besides being the last day of the week, and finally, when Nelly flicks her back, Rosa grabs Lysander's sleeve and pulls him up.

"So, about this Vanessa..." She drags Lysander away leaving me alone with Nelly, who takes a huge breath and rotates her body to face me.

"Okay look, hotshot, this is gonna sound really pathetic, but I need to know what you thi-"

"Hold up," I cut her off, holding up a hand. "Is that...?" I stand up and stare at the car that just drove into the parking lot; a royal blue Mercedes-Benz. No...no that's impossible. It _has _to be impossible...

_It's Nancy._ Nancy McLaire, my friend once upon a time. As she gets closer, I become more and more certain it's her. She looks exactly the same, with her faded denim crop top and tan cowboy boots and floral patterned shorts. The only difference is her hair; she must have gotten annoyed when she saw that it looked almost identical to mine, but she even has the same, arrogant, clipped stride. _What is she doing here?_

"Castiel?" Nelly asks, reaching out and grabbing my hand instead of standing on her hurt foot. "Castiel I'm sorry, but I really need to talk to you..."

"Whatever it is, it can wait, princess," I say hurriedly. In a rush, I take off running towards Nancy. Her blue eyes pop of her skull when she sees me, but I make sure I get the first word.

"What the _hell _are _you_ doing here?" I roar.

"Castiel!" she says in mock surprise. "I totally forgot you go here too!"

"I _stayed_ here," I correct her. "Now answer my question."

"Well, I don't know if I can explain it in a way that would make sense to your poor, nobody self..." Nancy pouts and twirls her longer hair around her finger, swaying back and forth just like she used to.

"Humor me," I sneer, crossing my arms. Nancy gives up and sighs.

"Fine. The band is really taking off, but we were becoming robotic celebrities, you know? And since our tour is over until the next album comes out this spring, we're only traveling on weekends. Our manager thought we would be more successful if we built up a reputation as being real, high school kids instead of ambiguous rock stars, so he sent us back to school for the time being."

"Wait...you said 'us?'" Nancy smiles cruelly.

"That's right, buddy, all of us. Am I seriously the first one here?"

"First one I've seen," I mutter.

It all happens at once; first Sam's Ford truck, and then Victor's fancy sports car. Trent rolls in in a brand new Jeep, with Deborah's glittering white convertible right behind him. _Deborah._I can't tell if the feeling in the pit of my stomach is dread or nervous excitement. My thoughts flicker back to Nelly, still waiting for me on the bench. _What did she want to ask me?_

Victor and Trent come flank either side of Nancy, and Sam stays hidden behind Trent's mohawk. Deborah takes a little longer to get out, and when she does, all those good, magical feelings I remember experiencing with Nelly seem imagined.

_Deborah's back. _

**Goodness, Castiel needs to get his head on straight, doesn't he? Tell me what you think and sorry for the wait!  
**

**~Ava**


	11. The Truth

**NELLY CARTER**

"What happened to Cas?" Rosalya asks, prancing back over with Lysander. "Did you ask him?"

"No, I was going to, but then he ran off to meet the new girl," I say, not even trying to hide my annoyance.

"Sorry to pry," Lysander starts, "but what were you going to ask Castiel?" I sigh and let my chin fall into my hands. No point in hiding it now; it was gonna come out either way.

"I was going to ask him if he actually likes me, or if I'm just Deborah's replacement, because I don't want to be friends with benefits anymore."

"That sounds like a fair question. Where did you say he went?"

"New girl," I repeat, pointing at the two figures standing in the parking lot. "Five new students today, remember?" Lysander follows my line of sight until he finds Castiel and the girl. As we watch, four more figures join them; three boys and another girl. They all seem to know each other, but I can't see their faces. I have an uneasy feeling about this, but I can't put my finger on it. Only when one of the girls wraps her arms around Castiel do I understand.

"It's the band," I say, my voice unusually high. "Stars from Nightmares, it's them." Rosalya and Lysander sit on either side of me, watching Deborah hug Castiel. They both know the story. Everyone knows that story.

"Oh, Nelly..." Rosa sighs, squeezing my hand and leaning her head on my shoulder, "Nelly I'm so sorry."

"If Castiel knows what's good for him he'll stay away from them," Lysander tells me. "They all hate him, you know."

"Believe me, I know," I exhale, leaning against Lysander so that we're all in a row.

"Castiel cares about you a lot, Nelly," Lysander continues. "You'd know that if you'd heard half the things he's told me."

"Yes, but Lysander, look at them," I say, my voice cracking. I will not cry. I will not cry. _Love doesn't even exist, you stupid girl, so why are you crying like you've lost it?_

But there they are, the happy couple, walking hand in hand, the rest of the band following close behind. I blink fast to keep any oncoming tears at bay as the group approaches us. Rosalya sits up and so do I, straightening my posture in an attempt to look as strong and unaffected as possible. I half hope for Castiel to drop Deborah's hand as they get closer, but my hope is in vain. If anything, the closer they get to us, the closer they get to each other.

"Oh, hey, I remember you!" Nancy barks when she sees me wedged between my two friends. "You're Castiel's stupid girlfriend!"

"I got a black eye 'cause of you," Victor says in an accusatory tone. "But if you want, I'm still open to having a little fun. You're very welcome to join us too, my dear," he adds, sending a wink in Rosa's direction.

"I have a boyfriend," she snaps in response.

"Of course you do. For now."

"Cas, aren't you going to introduce us to your new friends?" Deborah whispers into Castiel's ear.

"Deborah, everyone, this is Rosalya and Lysander," Castiel says in a colorless voice. "And you remember Nelly."

"Of course we remember Nelly!" Trent says, stepping forward and patting me on the head. "She doesn't look quite the same, though." Self-consciously, I glance down at my outfit, which consists of a loose-fitting breezy sweater and a pair of shorts, along with a pair of flip flops so that I can easily unwrap my ankle if need be. I still have my infinity necklace, but I didn't bother with any makeup this morning. No doubt I look different to them.

"I dressed up for you guys," I say in a sickly sweet voice.

"How sweet," Nancy comments, throwing my poisonous smile right back.

"Yeah, I'm just that kind of person," I retort. Nancy flares her nostrils, but doesn't say anything else.

"Well, we're all very happy to meet you, I'm sure," the ever-polite Lysander says, "but if you wouldn't mind, we were in the middle of helping Rosalya with the History lesson." _Thank you, Lysander. _

"Oh! Okay, we won't bother you anymore, then," Deborah says, leaning into Castiel's side even more. "Come on, guys, we should probably go check in with the principal or something."

"Wait just one second," Victor says. He takes my hands and pulls me up against him, fast. I ignore the sharp pain in my ankle. "I'm not kidding, sweetie," he says in a gravelly voice, leaning into me. "Just holler." I tilt my head up to look at him, and I see Castiel's hand tighten around Deborah's in the corner of my eye. Anger surges through my veins, and I grin at Victor. What the heck? It's not like I'm being _unfaithful._ I reach up and pull his head down to kiss him on the lips, hard. He forces in his tongue, and I let him run his hands all over my body. I feel sick kissing him, but at this point, I'll do anything to make Castiel squirm. When I can't stand it anymore and push Victor away, I can see that I've done my job. Castiel is tenser than I've ever seen him.

"Don't worry, I will," I say in a high, flirtatious sounding whisper. Victor winks at me and follows the rest of the band and Castiel into the school.

"I'd say that was justified," Rosalya comments after they're out of earshot. "They're jerks, all of them. But I wouldn't do it again; he'll get the wrong idea."

"Rosa, at this point, I really don't care," I groan, watching Kim jump up from her spot on the grass and give Deborah a huge hug.

"Well I have no intention of trying to get to know them," Lysander says, surprising me with his bluntness. "Except perhaps that one with the dark blonde hair, trailing behind. He's the only one in that group who hasn't done something I resent."

"Oh, yeah, that's Sam."

_"That's_ Sam? I believe Castiel mentioned him to me. From what he said, though, I wouldn't have pictured him as he is."

"Castiel doesn't like Sam for some reason, but he was the only one who didn't make me uncomfortable at the concert," I inform him. "Sam helped me out when Castiel left me with Victor, the guy with the earrings, to go make out with Deborah," I add bitterly.

"Castiel left you with...!" Lysander is unable to finish his sentence, and he shakes his head in astonishment. "I have a bad feeling about all this," he reveals.

"You guys never went to school with them before?" I question.

"No," Lysander says, shaking his head. "I moved here a month or two after they all left. I feel like it was towards the beginning of the fourth quarter."

"I know who they are, but they never talked to me," Rosalya says. "Castiel will be introducing them to the entire senior class. They were very exclusive, so I doubt they remember anyone but Cas."

"Well, they're jerks," I declare, crossing my legs decisively. "Castiel and Kim, too."

"I wouldn't go that far," Lysander disagrees. "Kim and Castiel are just under their spell."

"We need to break it," I decide, watching Castiel hold the door open for everyone. I've never seen him do anything like that before. He actually let it hit me in the face once, on purpose. Deborah is the last to pass through the doors, and she pecks Castiel on the lips before entering. I clench the hem of my sweater and crinkle it in my hand, wringing it until it becomes slightly damp.

English class is even more miserable than usual. All I want to do is sit there and snap all my pencils in half, but Katherine actually makes me do the work. So, when she goes to the bathroom, I snap her pencil.

"Nelly, that's not necessary," is all she says upon her return.

In addition to Katherine's annoying behavior, my idiot stepfather invites Stars from Nightmares, the famous band, to step up to the front of the class and introduce themselves. Deborah does most of the talking, and Sam doesn't talk at all. All Victor does is make eyes at the girls in the class, including Katherine, and when he does she squirms noticeably. I don't think she does too well around guys.

"And we're just so happy to be back where we belong," Deborah finishes, "with our old friends from Sweet Amoris." She flashes a sweet smile and the band members return to their seats.

Well, if that wasn't the cheesiest speech I ever had the misfortune to hear...

"Thank you, Deborah, we're certainly happy to have you, too," Simon says, sliding his glasses up the bridge his nose. He's not seriously falling for her charade, is he? Of all people...

This continues throughout the day. Every teacher wants to know about life as a rock star, and the students are getting sick of it.

At lunch, Castiel and Kim sit with the band, and I sit at the end of an abandoned table with Lysander and Rosalya. We sit in silence for several minutes before Sam has the nerve to approach us.

"Can I sit with you guys?" he asks, holding a tray of cafeteria food.

"Do what you want," I grumble, sliding over to make room.

"Thanks." Sam slides in beside me and nods in Lysander and Rosa's direction. "We didn't really get properly introduced this morning; I'm Sam," he says. "And you're...Lysander and...wait, don't tell me...Rosalya, right?" Lysander and Rosalya both reward his memory with a small smile.

"It's a pleasure to meet you, Sam," Lysander says. Rosa nods in agreement.

"Why aren't you sitting with the band?" she asks. "Castiel and that beyotch grossing you out, too?"

"I'm surprised you two broke up; he seemed to really like you a lot," Sam says. My body tenses. "I just don't get it," he continues absentmindedly. "She doesn't even like him." I almost choke on my water.

"WHAT!?"

"Oh, sorry," Sam apologizes quickly. "I shouldn't have said that."

"No, I am very glad you did. Now explain yourself!" I demand. Rosa and Lysander are just staring at him in shock. Sam sighs, realizing that now that he's brought it up he's not getting out of it.

"Deborah can't stand Castiel; she talks about it all the time. She thinks she's out of his league, but it's funny how in love he is with her. According to her, she kicked Castiel out of the band and promoted me to lead guitar because she was tired of pretending to love him back, and she justified it by telling everyone else that Castiel was spreading rumors, when the rumors were really being spread by her. The record label wanted him, but she pulled a stunt to get them to refuse him. Nobody knows all that except for me, and I'd like to keep it quiet if you don't mind. There seems to be enough drama as it is."

"How do you know it, Sam?" Lysander asks, his voice dangerously calm. Sam's face reddens and he stares at the pizza on his tray.

"Well..." he says slowly, "Castiel's a better guitarist than me. Everyone knows it. I had a hard time with this one song and everyone got really frustrated, so Deborah pulled me outside, and, um, long story short, she said a whole lot more than she meant to."

"And you never told anyone?" Rosalya cries incredulously. Sam shakes his head. "Why not?"

"I was afraid they'd kick me out and replace me with Castiel again," Sam admits. "None of them liked me in the first place, they just let me in to the band because it was a fuller sound with two guitars."

"So...why is Deborah being all lovey dovey if she doesn't really like him?" I question, glancing behind me at their table.

"I don't know. I think she told him that she wished they could stay together or something when they broke up, and probably again after that concert you guys were at, so she probably thinks she has to play up the act for a while. Deborah gets bored easily though; she'll dump him pretty soon."

"That little..." I turn around again, and the smile on Castiel's face kills me. He looks so happy to be back with her. I guess I was just a replacement after all. At the same time, that doesn't make my feelings about him any less real. Even if he doesn't want me for a girlfriend, he might still want me as a friend, and I don't want to see him get hurt by this girl. I have to warn him.

But how?

"He'd never believe us," Lysander says, reading my mind. I watch as Castiel puts his arm around Deborah's shoulder and gives her a lingering kiss. My lips burn, remembering just days ago when his kisses were for me. I see now that they meant nothing to him. I was just a snack, something to entertain him until the main course arrived. Yes, the main course is poisoned, but he won't know that until he takes a bite. Then there won't even be a point in trying to give him the snack again, because he'll be dead.

Of course, that's all figuratively speaking.

"I know," I moan, leaning my elbows on the table and popping a grape into my mouth. "But shouldn't we at least try?"

"Good luck getting him alone," Sam mutters.

I avoid Castiel the rest of the day, but there's really no point in putting in the effort, because he doesn't seek me out. I don't talk to anyone except for Lysander and Rosalya, and even our words are few. When I get home, I manage to crawl upstairs without hurting my ankle and hide under the covers of my bed. I skip dinner completely. My heart hurts too much to cry, but only half of the pain is my own. The other half is the look on Castiel's face when he realizes that Deborah never loved him; that he was her toy just like I was his. I just can't let that happen, but I don't see any way to stop it.

"Honey? Nelly, sweetie, are you okay?" Mom knocks on the door frame and pokes her head inside. "Can I come in?" I don't have the energy to say no, so she takes my silence as a yes. She sits at the end of my bed and gazes at me, her eyes tender. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"No," I reply. Yet, I find myself asking her to tell me about love. She masks her surprise well, and rocks back and forth trying to decide what to say.

"Love, huh? Well...sweetie, I think love is different for every couple. Some love comes easily, like Simon and I, for example. And I know you don't want to hear about that, so I won't say anything else other than I felt something in my heart after our very first conversation. But love isn't always easy; in fact, more often than not it's very, very hard."

"What does it feel like?" I ask. My voice is muffled by my pillow.

"Oh, goodness, umm, well for starters, you can't get them out of your head. Suddenly what you feel doesn't matter half as much as what they do. You're happy when they're happy, and when they're not you'll do anything to see them smile again. Every time you kiss you feel like you're flying. You feel like a shadow of yourself when they're not around, and if they leave you..." she glances at me knowingly, "you feel the weight of the world crashing down on your shoulders." I draw in a shaky breath as Mom describes my symptoms. Is it true? Do I really love Castiel? And if so, why did it taking losing him for me to realize it?

"How do you make it go away?" I murmur.

"That's the pesky thing about love," Mom says softly, staring out into space. "It's like a cancer. Once you've got it, it grows and grows and there's nothing you can do but hope for the best."

"I hate love."

"Do you want to tell me what happened?"

"Ask Simon about his new favorite student if you really want to know."

"Oh! I didn't think you liked Nathaniel-"

_"New_ favorite, Mom, _new,"_ I repeat.

"Okay. Well, whatever happened, I'm sorry, Nel." Mom leans down and gives me an awkward hug before leaving me to my thoughts.

For argument's sake, I decide that I love Castiel. Admitting it even to myself is one of the hardest things I've ever done, but there's no way around it. I don't want to live in a world that doesn't have him in it. He's what I look forward to every morning; he's who I'm thinking about every afternoon while I'm driving home. When I get good news, he's the first person I want to tell. When I'm upset, he's the only person I want to talk to. Him being happy and in a good mood changes my entire day for the better. I can't stand around and watch him get crushed, even though he crushed me first. That's what love is; putting his feelings first. I've never done that before. Until now, it's only ever been about what I wanted.

I'm beginning to think more critically about Lysander's interpretation of Romeo and Juliet, because it seems double sided to me.

I have the whole weekend to mentally prepare myself for the big event. I thought about calling or texting Castiel to break the news about Deborah, but it seems like something that needs to be said in person. So, on Sunday evening, I send him a text.

_Me: Can u come to skl early tmorrow? Still rly need 2 talk 2 u_

_Castiel: No one's stopping u now_

_Me: In person, hotshot_

_Castiel: Whatevr, princess. Wht time?_

_Me: I'll b there 8 15_

_Castiel: Fine _

_Me: Thx_

_Castiel: Shut up_

I can't tell if he's being bitter because he hates me now or because he's always bitter. It's strange how much more I'm reading into his actions. I feel like I belong in an ABC drama or something.

Monday morning, I hurry to get dressed and run downstairs, because I overslept by about ten minutes. I should start setting my clock ahead like Rosa, but it's too late for that now.

"Nelly," Simon stops me as I slide down the banister. "I have something for you." I had been planning to just ignore him, but a present? Now, that's an occasion.

"What is it?" I ask, gasping for breath because I've been rushing so much. In response, Simon holds out a key.

"I'm still not letting Castiel out of study hall," he begins, "and I expect you to use this responsibly, but if you feel like you need to get away today, this'll open the doors to the roof. Only if you don't have any homework to do." My eyes grow wide as I stare at the key in his outstretched hand.

"Are you serious?" I ask, my hand closing around the key.

"Completely serious. Especially about the using it responsibly part. No skipping out because you want to, okay, and no skipping academic classes. Only study hall, and only if you feel like you need it. Remember the difference between a need and a want, alright?" I fling my arms around Simon's neck gratefully without my brain's approval.

"Thank you so much!" I squeal. "Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you! Gotta run, though, bye!" I take off running to my car, a feeling of ecstasy overcoming me. Simon doesn't hate me! And he's starting to trust me. He trusts me to break the rules responsibly. That's a big step.

But unfortunately, my newfound happiness dissolves as I get closer and closer to the school. I walk into the courtyard at exactly 8:15, and I thank everything good in the world that my ankle is mostly better, because if it wasn't I would be on the ground again. My legs feel like they're about to give out.

Of course Castiel picks today to show up early. The jerk didn't even give me time to mentally prepare myself. He's reclining on our bench, looking uncommonly relaxed. The first things I notice about him are his clothes, though.

He's not wearing an inch of red. The only scrap of leather on his body is the chord around his neck that's replaced the chain, and he has a simple black button up shirt and dark jeans, a tan jacket spread out across the back of the bench. My heart sinks to the pit of my stomach, realizing that he looks an awful lot like he does in that picture Rosa gave me, minus the red hair, which I'm sure he'll be dying back any day now. He's already changing back for her.

"Make this quick, got it, princess?" he growls as I sit next to him. I cross and uncross my ankles to get rid of some of my nervous energy. "Whaddya want to talk about?"

"I need to talk to you about Deborah," I force out. I'm practically having a seizure.

"What about her?" Castiel's posture changes, and I can't tell what that means.

"She...she...she..."

"Spit it out, damnit!"

"Shedoesn'treallylikeyou."

**Sometimes I feel like I'm really mean to you guys...I just love writing cliffhangers! How do you think things are gonna go down with Cas and Nelly?**

**Hope you liked it!**

**~Ava**


	12. The Declaration

**CASTIEL MASON**

I couldn't pick out a word Nelly just said.

_"Excuse me?"_

"Look, I know it's hard to believe, but just hear me-"

"No, really, what did you just say?"

"Oh." Nelly looks around in a circle and starts doing that weird thing with her feet again. "Castiel, Deborah doesn't really like you. She's just using you." My blood instantly turns hot. I knew she was jealous, and I guess I really should apologize for leading her on, but it's not my fault my girlfriend came back to school.

_Don't hurt her, don't hurt her..._

"Nelly," I say as calmly as possible, "that's ridiculous. I've loved Deborah for as long as I can remember."

"But love isn't always returned," she replies softly, picking at a fingernail.

"This one is."

"No, it's not!" she insists. "Look, I know you're not going to believe me, okay, but at least hear me out!"

"No! You're being a bitch, Nelly!" I raise my voice, angry that she would make up a story like this to make me upset. It's working, but not in the way I'm sure she intended.

"Oh, yeah, _I'm_ the bitch!" she shouts back, standing in order to get some leverage. "I'm the one who kisses someone one day and calls them my girlfriend and then ditches her the second someone with slutty clothes and big blue eyes shows up! Oh, no wait, I'm not. That's _you!"_

_"I'm_ not the one who makes out with a man-whore just because she's a little jealous her crush's _real_ girlfriend came back!" I stand as well and cross my arms, staring her down.

_"She broke up with you!_ And you know why? Because she thinks she's out of your league! Some _girlfriend_ you got there, hotshot! She turned your friends against you so she wouldn't have to deal with you anymore! Ever wonder why they just started hating you without explanation?"

"They were jealous of me! That's why they kicked me out and had to resort to Sam!"

"Well, according to _Sam,_ you're the better guitarist, and you only got replaced because Deborah manipulated everyone!"

"Oh, I see," I say, pointing my finger accusingly in her face. "I get it now. _Sam_ put you up to this! He wants me gone because I'm a threat!"

"Sam is the only respectable person_in_ that band!" Nelly shrieks, stomping her foot angrily. "I'm not trying to hurt you, Castiel, why can't you see that!?" She's practically sobbing by now. Serves her right for making up a story like that.

"Oh yeah?" I sneer. "What exactly _are_ you doing then?"

"I'm trying to protect you!"

"And what the _hell_ makes you think I need protecting?"

"I don't know! I-I...I l_ove_ you, damnit!" she shouts.

"And I _hate_ you!" Nelly stares at me in horrified shock for a split second before bursting into tears and running inside the school, leaving her backpack next to the bench. I don't know where she thinks she's going to hide in there, but I tell myself that I couldn't care less.

Wait..._what _did she just say? She _loves _me? Where the hell did that come from?

"What was that about?" Lysander's calm, smooth voice comes up behind me.

"When did you get here?" I snap, not turning around.

"Just in time to see Nelly run away," he responds. Does _Lysander _actually sound _angry?_

"It was her fault," I say defensively. "She started it."

"Grow up, Castiel," Lysander says tensely. "And don't talk to her again until you have. I'll have you know, she was telling the truth."

"And I suppose you know what she said?"

"I don't pretend to know everything, but I have a pretty good idea, judging by your reaction to the news."

"It's not news, it's a lie."

"Think what you want; the truth always comes out," Lysander says smoothly. He almost sounds as if he doesn't care anymore. He bends over and picks up Nelly's back, slinging it over his shoulder on top of his own.

"Lysander?" I ask, just now remembering something. "Before the band came back on Friday, Nelly was trying to ask me something. Do you know what that was?" I don't know why it suddenly matters to me now.

"She wanted to know if you really liked her, or if she was just Deborah's replacement," Lysander replies coolly. "I guess she got her answer." Rosalya joins him on his way inside, and a few moments later she rushes in ahead of him, no doubt to console the little princess.

I can't believe them. I'd have thought my friends would be happy for me, but apparently now I'm the bad guy.

But...is that true? Was Nelly just a replacement for Deborah? I can't compare them like that; it makes my head hurt. I know I liked Nelly, but Deborah and I have so much _history._ Nelly just can't compete with that. Sure, she's great, and fun, and smart, and beautiful, and I love..._Deborah._ I love Deborah, don't I? What I felt with Nelly was amazing, yeah. But I tried to let Deborah go two months ago, and I just couldn't. Not when I believed that she was still in love with me.

But Lysander said that Nelly was telling the truth, and he's never lied to me before...could it be possible that Deborah's really just using me?

No. No, it's not.

I'm so confused. Is it possible to be in love with two people at the same time? If Nelly kissed Victor to make me jealous, then it worked, which has to mean something, but there's just some part of me that can't get my mind off of Deborah. I travel the maze that is my mind and eventually end up back at my original reason, which was 'I'm scared.' It sounds just as wimpy now as it ever did, but I think it's still true.

Ugh, why do my emotions keep swinging back and forth?! One minute I'm telling myself I love Deborah, and the next I'm saying that Deborah is just the only way to stay in my comfort zone. Do I _really _love her, or do I just love the _idea_ of her? The safety of her?

Nelly loves _me._ She told me so. Has Deborah ever told me she loves me? ...Now that I think about it, I don't think she has. Not out loud, anyways, only every in texts. And she's had plenty of opportunities. Come to think of it, I don't think I've ever told _her,_ either. I read once that telling someone you love them is a big deal, because the person is basically giving their heart and everything along with it to the person they love, not knowing whether or not it will be broken or cherished. It's a risk. But it's also something that's very hard to say if you don't mean it.

So what does that mean for me?

I don't even pay attention in first block. My thoughts are still too absorbed with Nelly and Deborah, Deborah and Nelly. And the fact that Nelly isn't in class.

It's not until second block that I find out why.

"Mr. Mason?" Mr. Faraize calls, leaning in the doorway of the study hall classroom. "I need to speak with you about your homework records." Everyone snickers as I stand and go outside. I've actually been turning in my homework, so this is about something else, and I think I know what it is.

"Mr. Mason, do you know where Nelly is?" Mr. Faraize asks sharply, closing the study hall door.

"No, sir." I find it best to imitate Lysander in situations like this.

"Well, I do," Mr. Faraize shocks me, crossing his arms. "I received a notice that she wasn't in first block, so I went to the roof. I gave her a key this morning with strict instructions to go only during study hall, and I thought that she had disobeyed me."

"Can we please get to the point?" I ask impatiently, growing increasingly nervous.

"Yes, Castiel, we can. I went up to the roof, and you know what I found?"

"No, but I'm guessing you're going to tell me..."

"I found her lying face down on the bench, crying her eyes out," he snaps. "I asked her what was wrong, and all she was able to say was your name, but that was all I needed to know. Now, Mr. Mason, I asked very little of you. I didn't ask you to not see my daughter anymore or to ask my permission before taking her out, I didn't ask you not to have secret make out sessions, I didn't ask you to stop smoking or drinking or whatever the heck you do, and I didn't even ask you not to sleep with her. The one thing I _did _ask was that you not break her heart, and that's precisely what you've done."

_Why is this geezer making me feel so guilty!?_

"Now, I realize that there's nothing I can rightfully punish you for as a teacher and that there's really no point in talking to your parents, but I just hope you understand what you've done," Mr. Faraize continues. "Make sure that Nelly's is the last heart you break." He storms away, and I stand speechless for the second time today.

Is he serious? _I_ did that to her? Just a few days ago, I was imagining how awful I would feel if I ever made Nelly cry, and Mr. Faraize is right; it's my fault that she's crying now. It feels even worse than I imagined. How did it even happen? I trace the events backwards in my head.

_Deborah does this to me,_ I realize suddenly. The thought comes out of nowhere. Deborah makes me hurt other people, whether we love each other or not. She's driven Lysander and Rosalya and Nelly away, and who have I gotten in return? Nancy and Victor and Trent. I _see_ it now, and I curse myself for taking so long. I could've stopped all this! This isn't love, this is destructive and awful and ugly, and I feel like that prince from that stupid "Swan Lake" story when he realizes that he's declared his affection to the wrong girl. All phantom feelings of love for Deborah vanish, and I know this time for sure that they're never coming back. Losing everything I _truly_ love isn't worth the dim spark we have, especially not when there's fireworks with Nelly.

This also means...Nelly was telling the truth, wasn't she?

_But she'll never want to see me again. I told her I hated her...how can I ever redeem myself from that?_

I can't face her. I can't face any of them. What the hell am I going to do?

When the current study hall supervisor comes out into the hall and asks why I'm staring into space, I go back inside and sit next to Deborah. She plants a kiss on my cheek, but for the first time I don't want to kiss her back. I have no desire to hold her, or even to talk to her. If what Nelly and Lysander said is true, then I don't ever want to see her again. Even though I've made my decision, that doesn't necessarily mean I believe everything Nelly said this morning. People say crazy things when they're upset; I would know. She might have exaggerated, but there had to have been some truth in her declaration, after all, Lysander backed her up on it. I don't know. The only thing I'm certain of right now is that I'm not in love with Deborah; I was just hung up on the memory of her. It was an infatuation, and now it's over.

When I don't blink an eye in response to her kiss, Deborah rolls her gorgeous blue eyes and takes out her notebook. She writes in it furiously for the rest of class, and when the bell rings, she rips out whatever she was writing and tucks it into the pocket of my jacket.

"Read it alone," she whispers against my ear. "Read it _now."_ She gives me another lingering kiss before leaving to go to the cafeteria. I really don't want to sit with her and the band, so this is the perfect excuse not to. Instead of going to the lunch room, I head outside to where Lysander and I used to sit.

My heart jumps to my throat when I walk out. There, on the bench, are Lysander and Rosalya, a red-eyed Nelly sitting between them. How could I be so stupid? Of course they came out here! They probably thought I would be in the cafeteria with everyone else.

Rosalya and Lysander are both laughing and talking, trying to cheer Nelly up. Lysander even does a Shakespearean monologue for her, and she actually cracks a smile. When Rosa looks up and sees me watching them, the smile melts off her face. When Nelly notices my presence, she meets my eyes with a steely glare, her jaw clenched, and hatred written all over her face. She doesn't show any signs of crying. At this point, all I want to do is apologize, but I know that her two bodyguards won't let me anywhere near her. In fact...

"Get outta here!" Rosalya finally shouts. I feel like the first step to earning their friendship back is probably respecting their wishes, so I turn around and go back inside, finally deciding on hiding out in the bathroom to read whatever Deborah gave me. No one ever comes in here, so I'm probably safe in assuming I'll be alone the entire time, but I lock myself in a stall anyways and lean against the door while taking the note out of my pocket. I unfold it and read in my head.

_Cas-_

_Had so much fun with you this weekend. I still can't believe we're back at school- it's so surreal. Everything felt like it was back to normal when I stayed with you on Saturday night...almost. I say 'almost,' because you seemed really out of it. I know I'm kind of out of it too, the school gossip, I mean, but I've caught up. I know you've been cheating on me. Or maybe you're cheating on her- I'm not entirely positive, but I'm not going to stay in a relationship with someone who thinks that's okay. Yes, you read it right, Cas, and it means exactly what you think it does._

_Truth is, I was probably going to end it soon anyways. I should've ended it for real a looooong time ago, if you get my drift. But I have to admit, you're a good enough kisser to make me want to keep you around ;) _

_So...goodbye, I guess. I know you'll avoid all of us for the next few weeks, but if you're nice maybe I'll clear your name and we can all be friends again. But then again, I don't know how long we're staying in school...oh well. Goodbye._

_XOXO- Deborah_

Lord, have mercy. After all that, she still has the nerve to sign her name with hugs and kisses.

I crinkle the note in my hand and punch the wall of the stall with my fist, creating a loud BOOM that reverberates off of the other stalls. Sam was telling the truth about Deborah. Nelly was telling the truth about Sam. Lysander was telling the truth about Nelly. Every word each of them said was true, and I lashed out because I was caught up in a fantasy. I was caught up in a love that never existed. Deborah _used_ me.

It's impossible to describe what that realization feels like. It's a hell worse than anyone could ever imagine. All along, she never felt anything. She played with me because it was amusing for her to watch me melt at her feet, and that's exactly what I did. And the band...she really did turn them against me. All that time I thought they were jealous of my relationship with Deborah.

How is it even possible to be so blind?

The only thing that I know for certain right now is that I have nowhere to go anymore. The band hates me, and Deborah's no longer my key into their exclusive club. Nelly hates me now, too. Rosa's going to hate me by extension. And I don't think Lysander_ hates_ me, but he's pretty pissed. There's only one person I might be able to talk to.

Sam isn't hard to find, being a loner himself. Loners always hide in the same, cliché places, and Sam is back behind the staircase in the corner, doing his math homework and snacking on a bag of potato chips. I've learned from Lysander how to walk without making a sound, so Sam doesn't notice my approach until I make myself known.

"The Pythagorean Theorem is A squared times B squared equals C squared, not..." I peer over at his paper, "whatever the heck that is." Sam jumps at the sound of my voice and turns around.

"Oh, hi, Castiel," he says nervously. "Can I help you?"

"Yes, you can," I say decisively, crossing my legs and sitting down across from him. The surprised look on his face is priceless. I hand him the crumpled note from Deborah. "You can tell me exactly what you told Nelly."

"About...?" Sam's voice fades away as his brown eyes skim the note. When he looks up, his skin is considerably whiter. "Oh, that."

"Yes, that. I want the whole story."

Sam tells me the whole story. To his credit, he finishes it off with saying that I am, in fact, a much better guitarist than him and that he's sorry I was kicked out. I nod curtly and gather my things to leave.

"Where are you going?" Sam asks.

"Home. I've got better things to do than rot in this hellhole," I snap. His story hit me where it hurts, so to speak, and even that would be an understatement. In a single morning, I've had my heart ripped out and crushed, become my friends' worst enemy, hurt the girl I think I might _actually_ love, and basically turned myself into a complete outcast. There's no way I'm sticking around.

Lysander, Rosalya, and Nelly are getting ready to come back in for third period when I leave, but I don't so much as glance in their direction. I drive way over the speed limit to get home, and the second I walk in I hunt down a can of beer from Dad's secret home stash and chug it down. I've actually never drunk before because I was always scared of ending up like Dad, and it tastes disgusting, but hopefully the side effects will be worth it. And at this point, I don't care whether I end up like Dad or not. Maybe Dad has the right idea. If alcohol really _can_ wash away the pain, then I say it's worth a go.

When I'm on my third can, I start to feel the effects. I consider stopping, but it's making me forget. All I want to do right now is destroy things to vent my anger, so I rip open the cabinets and throw Mom's good china at the wall, at the windows, and at the TV, eliciting panicked barks from Demon downstairs. I scream at him to shut up and grab a pair of scissors, running up to my room. Lost in my impulsive rage, I pick up my red electric and purposefully cut the strings Nelly gave me in half, handing the memory of us playing C major chords over to the alcohol.

A few cans later, the anger is gone, but the deep down hurt is still there. Not even halfway in control of my actions, I strip down to my underwear and throw myself on the couch, the not quite empty can rolling out of my hand and staining the white carpet.

Who _cares?_

Who cares about _anything?_

My mind is a jumbled mixture of words and letters and numbers and images and sounds, and I can't discern the dreams from reality.

_Demon barking...A squared...Lysander...Romeo and Juliet...death. Life...love...Rosalya...Leigh...C major...C minor...Deborah...lies...truth...Sam...Mom...Dad.. .abandoned...hate...love again...Nelly._

_Nelly._

_Nelly._

_Nel-_

**Well, we all knew Castiel was bad at dealing with crises...what do you guys think?  
**

**Love yah!**

**Ava**


	13. The Bathtub

**NELLY CARTER**

It's Friday, and I haven't seen Castiel since Monday when he stormed out to his car right after lunch. Not that I particularly _want_ to see him; he hates me, after all, but I will admit I'm a little worried. Sam told us that he left right after Deborah wrote him a break-up letter, and that he was kind of overwhelmed. Sam doesn't know anything else though, because apparently during their little 'talk,' Sam did all of the talking.

It seems like Castiel has just disappeared off the face of the earth entirely. Neither Rosalya nor Lysander have gotten any texts from him, although they've been texting _him_ like crazy. I hope he's okay, and I can almost put aside my anger in order to worry about him. _Almost._ I haven't cried since that first day, and I'm ashamed for crying like I did, but school has been a much darker place in the last week without Castiel.

Simon has been surprisingly tolerant of my behavioral issues at home, which I really appreciate, and although he doesn't realize it, his support is really valuable to me. I'm finding that Simon is great to have in a crisis, because he gets even angrier about your problems than you do, and makes you feel like you're not some crazy wacko who's overreacting. He doesn't know the whole story; he just knows it has something to do with Castiel, but he hasn't pushed me to _tell_ him the whole story. He just accepts the fact that I'm upset and that the best thing is to let me be upset until I get over it, and for that I'm grateful.

Strangely, I haven't been using my key to the rooftop. I'm scared that if I go up there I'll break down again, especially if I play guitar. Every C chord I've played since Castiel's declaration of hate has felt like a personal stab in the heart. Everywhere I go, things find ways to remind me of him. Especially the roof; that was _our_ place.

I drive to school by myself and park near the doors. Lysander and Rosalya are waiting right outside, their faces grim. I'm a little late; we only have five minutes until the bell, but I don't think they're about to criticize my time management skills.

"Castiel's not here again," Rosalya says gravely. "We've been through the entire school."

"We're really worried, Nelly," Lysander says. "The last time Castiel got his heart broken, he went crazy."

"If I can deal with it, then so can he. He's a big boy," I grumble. I know they're right, though.

"Nel, we talked to the principal, and she agreed that if we suspected something was wrong we should go see," Rosa says. "So Lys-baby and I are going to his house right now, and if you want to come, you can."

"Don't feel pressured to," Lysander adds quickly, "I don't know how eager you are to see him."

"No, I'll go," I decide. I don't know why I feel the need to put myself in this sure to be dramatic situation, but it seems like the right thing to do. If something's wrong with him, I want to help, whether he hates me or not. _I_ still love him. And if nothing's wrong, then I can cuss him out to my heart's content. I imagine that will feel quite good.

"Okay, well we're leaving now," Rosa says as the bell rings. "Don't even bother checking in, we'll come back later. Probably. Come on." She leads Lysander and I to her car, and I sit in the backseat, tossing my school things on the other side.

Rosalya turns on the radio to fill the tense silence, and I lose myself in the jumbled lyrics, letting them fill my head and numb my mind. I've never heard any of the songs on Rosa's station, but I guess that doesn't really matter. Music is therapeutic whether you can sing along or not.

I look up in awe as we drive up to what I assume is Castiel's house. He lives in an isolated corner of a rich neighborhood, in a huge house with a three-car garage, two balconies on the front, and a big porch. It must get lonely for him to be in that big house all by himself, but I wouldn't know because I've never asked him about it. I don't think he would've told me anyways.

His truck is out front and Demon is barking in the backyard, so Castiel must be home. Does that mean he's just ditching school because he can? With Castiel, you never can tell. The garage door is open, so we decide to try it first. Lysander knocks, but there's no answer, so he turns the doorknob as a purely experimental action. The door swings open with absolutely no resistance, to our immense surprise. Lysander goes inside, followed by Rosa and then me.

"Oh my God," Rosa gasps upon entering. _"Oh my God."_

"What? What is it?" Lysander and Rosalya are blocking my view by standing in the doorway of the mudroom with all their tallness, so I shove past them to see what they're gawking at. When I see it, I wish I had stayed behind them. My hand flies to my mouth in horror.

"Oh my _God..."_ I echo Rosalya. "What the...?"

Castiel's house is a wreck. I don't think it's physically possible for a house to look worse than this unless you're being featured on a hoarding show, but that's completely different. Every cabinet and pantry door is wide open, food and dishes strewn all over the place. Shards of broken glass and china litter the floor, and empty cans of beer decorate every surface. Several windows looking out at the backyard are cracked, and so is the television screen. The formerly pristine white carpet is covered with beer stains, as is most of the furniture, and heavy metal rock music blares from the upstairs. The air is perfumed with alcohol, and it almost makes me feel sick.

Is this what he's been doing for the past few days? _Drinking _his misery away? How did he even _get _the beer without a valid ID? I could be wrong, but I don't think you're supposed to be able to buy it until you're twenty-one.

"I'll go the basement. Rosa, search this floor, and Nelly, you go upstairs," Lysander says tensely. "We've got to find him and make sure he's not bleeding to death with all this glass." Lysander sets off to the basement and I run up the stairs to the balcony, which overlooks the living room. Rosa stays downstairs like Lysander said.

There are three doors immediately in front of you when you get to the top of the stairs, and two more across the balcony bridge thing. One of them, I'm assuming the master bedroom, has double doors, one of which is slightly ajar. I follow my instinct and look there first.

The bedroom, although massive, seems to be empty. The room seems relatively untouched, at least compared to the downstairs. He's not in here. I do however find the source of the insane music playing, so I turn that off. I poke my head into the master bathroom to do a quick scan before moving on to the next room.

Wait a second. He was in there!

My heart races as I burst through the bathroom door again, and I'm greeted by the sight of Castiel sitting in an empty bathtub, barefooted and wearing a loose black t-shirt and gray sweats, twirling a can of beer in his hand. His hair, which he usually obsesses over, is a matted mess. I accidentally made quite a racket when I found him, and as a result I've actually caught the attention of his dulled senses. He turns his head to look at me slowly, and I just stare into his eyes, unsure of how to act. He narrows his eyes and tilts his head, confused, almost as if he's trying to decide if he's hallucinating or not. Deciding that I am in fact a hallucination, he shrugs and takes another swig from his can.

"Castiel?" I say his name gently, approaching him slowly. I've heard that people under the influence of alcohol can be violent if something or someone sets them off, which would explain the mess downstairs, and I'm not really interested in looking like the TV. "Castiel, it's Nelly."

"Nelly..." he repeats slowly, glancing at me again. His eyes land on my hair. "Cheez-Itz." Okay, at least he's not color blind. That's good, right? I mean, my hair _is_ the exact same color as Cheez-Itz. I discovered that when I was five. It was a great day.

I smile weakly at Castiel, unsure of what to say or do. They don't teach you in school what you're supposed to do when you find your friend drunk in a bathtub. He'll get in trouble for underage drinking if we take him anywhere, but I don't know how long it'll take him to come to. First thing's first though; get that can away from him.

"Hey, Castiel?" I ask, keeping my voice light and friendly for fear of ticking him off. "Can I have a sip of that?" I gesture towards his can.

"Whatever, princess," he slurs, handing me the can. Oh, that's a good sign, I think. He remembers I'm the princess. My gut tells me that it's just a subconscious thing his brain associates with Nelly, though, because he's definitely not registering the fact that I'm here in person. Whether he still thinks I'm a hallucination or if his brain is just too muddled right now to process the fact, I'm not sure. I don't think alcohol causes hallucinations, but if he really knew I was here, he wouldn't be acting like this. He'd probably be yelling at me for ruining his life, even though I would have no idea what I did.

I take the can gratefully and pretend to take a swig, doing my best not to gag on the smell.

"Thanks," I say. I peer into the can and swirl it around. "Oh, sorry, it's empty now. I'll go get you another one, okay?" Castiel waves me away, and I exit slowly until I'm out of his sight. Then I run for it.

When I get downstairs, Lysander is just coming up. He and Rosalya shake their heads at each other and look at me expectantly.

"He's upstairs," I tell them. They both start for the stairs, but I hold out my hands to stop them. "He's drunk," I say quickly. _"Very_ drunk. And sitting in a bathtub. I don't know what to do about it." Rosalya bits her lip, contemplating the situation while Lysander taps the side of his face, doing the same thing.

"He doesn't have alcohol poisoning or anything, does he?" Rosalya asks frantically.

"I don't think so. Not yet anyways," I say. "I mean, he's had a lot, but if you look around he's spilled an awful lot too. Is there a way to get him sober?"

"Let's just look it up," Lysander sighs. "I'm assuming none of us have never been in this situation before? The computer's in here," he adds, gesturing towards a door on the other side of the living room.

"Okay, you go do that. I'm going to get some water," I say. Lysander nods and goes to what is probably the office. I scrounge around for several minutes before finding a bottle of water. I'm a little nervous to use the tap, despite the fact that there's really no good reason to be. Rosalya goes to help Lysander figure out what to do, and I go back upstairs.

"Sorry, hotshot," I say, entering the bathroom. "You drank your entire stash. Here's this, though." I hand him the bottle of water, but his eyes have gotten wide and scared as he stares at me.

"Nelly!" he says, just now realizing who I am, and that I'm not a hallucination. This is so confusing...I have no idea what's going through his head right now.

"Yeah, yeah it's Nelly," I say, taking his hand and covering it with both of mine. Castiel leans his head back against the rim of the tub and looks at me, his stormy gray eyes searching my face.

"I don't hate you," he says softly. His words hit me like a bolt of lightning despite their quiet deliverance. I want to believe him so, _so _badly, but I really can't put much stock in anything he's saying right now.

"Castiel, it's okay," I choke out. "Just drink the water, alright?" His eyes get even wider.

"You don't believe me!" he shouts frantically, jumping to his feet. _"I don't hate you!"_

"Castiel, really..."

_"No!_ I don't know why I said what I did! I don't hate you at all, I _love_ you!" My heart breaks all over again, because he has no idea what he's talking about. "I love you!" he repeats. "I love your hair and your smile and your laugh and how I_ think_ you're trying to help me right now, even though I have no idea what's going on, and God, I love the way you never let me get away with anything and always have a comeback, I love the way you play C major and how you _never_ pay attention in English, and how you tried to tell me about..." his voice fades away, but I know what he was going to say.

"Castiel," I beg, blinking fast to keep from crying, "you're drunk okay? We'll talk when you're better."

"Stop it!" he cries desperately. "You have to believe me! You _have_ to believe me!"

"Alright! Okay, I believe you!" I lie, holding my hands up in surrender. "If you drink that right now, I'll believe you." I point at the bottle of water in his hand and he steps out of the tub, taking a sip of the water. The next thing I know, he has his arms around me and is squeezing me so tight I feel like I'm going to suffocate.

"I'm so sorry," he whispers. The smell of alcohol is strong on his breath, and I push him away as gently as possible. Castiel slumps over to his parents' bed and collapses on it, and I turn on the TV on the wall to distract him. Maybe it'll help him come to his senses.

But maybe not, as the only thing that's on is a _Duck Dynasty_ marathon.

Lysander texts me from downstairs, saying that the best thing to do is probably to give him water, which I already did, and some food, which there is none of. Since Rosalya loves to clean, she's going to try and tidy the place up a little bit so none of us kill ourselves, and I'm in charge of watching Castiel while Lysander goes to pick something up to eat. I don't know what I'm watching him for, I mean, he thinks his beer stash is gone, so he's not going downstairs to get any more, and he's not a baby. Besides, I think he's calming down. All the same, though, I'd be a little nervous leaving him by himself; I think his parents would like their bedroom to stay more or less intact.

Twenty boring minutes later, Lysander comes back with a huge bag full of McDonalds, and he and Rosalya finally come upstairs. They don't say anything to Castiel and Castiel doesn't really say anything to them, but we sit in a circle on the huge bed and eat, the only sound being the TV. Afterwards, Castiel leans back on the multitude of pillows and falls asleep.

"Well, that was fun," Rosalya says brightly. "I'm gonna go clean some more."

"I can't believe you actually _like_ to clean," I make fun of her.

"It gives me a sense of accomplishment," she explains.

"When do you think he'll wake up?" I ask Lysander.

"Probably not for a couple of hours, and when he does he'll have a hangover." I shudder.

"I don't want to be around when that happens. How do we fix that?" Lysander sighs and gathers up the trash, shoving it all into the original bag.

"I'll go look it up," he says, exiting the room. Once again, I'm left alone with Castiel. This time, however, there's absolutely nothing to worry about, as he's fast asleep. Lacking anything else to do, I study his face. He looks so relaxed when he's sleeping. He's not scowling or snapping or frowning or trying to think of a creative way to insult someone, he's just...peaceful. And beautiful, of course. He's _always_ been beautiful. Beautiful, handsome, sexy, hot...all of the above. Significantly less so with matted hair, though.

Watching him reminds me of just how tired I am, seeing as I've hardly been able to sleep all week. Since it'll be a couple of hours until he wakes up and actually needs us again, I think I can afford to catch up on my Z's. With _Duck Dynasty _still playing in the background, I lay down and turn over on my side so that my back is facing Castiel, and it doesn't take too long to fall asleep.

I dream about Lysander and Rosalya dancing around in McDonald's French fry costumes. It's quite possibly the most bizarre thing you can imagine. And then suddenly, Amber and Deborah come out of nowhere, attacking me with cans of beer and...guitar picks? One of the cans hits my dream-self in the head and knocks her out, and she collapses on the ground. Someone catches her. I don't see the mysterious savior, but as I lie there, the person wraps their arms around me as I fall unconscious. My mind knows it's a dream, but the tangibility of the person's arms feels more real than anything.

That's when I wake up, finding myself face to face with a still sleeping Castiel, his right arm draped over my body. My brain instantly kicks into self-defense mode and I scream, toppling of the side of the bed and knocking the bedside table over. The lamp on it crashes to the floor and shatters, the sound causing Castiel to stir. His eyes open groggily and his hand instantly reaches for his probably pounding forehead, but after a few moments he notices me on the floor.

"How the hell did you get down there, princess?" he grumbles. "Actually, don't answer that. I don't really care. But..." his eyes travel to shattered lamp. "Oh, shit. Can't you do anything without messing it up?" I just stare up at him, not speaking, silently praying that he will decide against killing me. He rolls out of bed and pulls me to a standing position before setting the bedside table upright. He looks at the broken lamp in dismay, but doesn't make any attempt to fix it or clean it up. Instead, he takes a step towards the door and winces, putting his hand back on his forehead.

"Headache?" I infer, not knowing what else to say.

"What do you think?" he growls. "Where's Lys and Rosa? They were here, right?"

"Yes, and I don't know," I say truthfully. "I fell asleep not long after you did. They're still here though; they're my ride."

"Oh, good, 'cause I was about to ask how the hell you found my house."

"I'm not a stalker, don't worry," I snicker.

"Whatever." Castiel winces again. "You wouldn't happen to have any painkillers on you, would you?"

"Nope," I shake my head. "You don't have any downstairs?"

"I don't take medicine, usually. It pisses me off."

"Right, because that make total sense."

"Shut up," he groans, falling backwards onto the bed and rubbing his temples.

"Well, that's what you get for drinking so much," I say without sympathy. "Everyone knows that's what happens. But while I'm on the subject, why'd you disappear all week, and why were you in a bathtub when we finally found you?"

"I was in the bathtub?"

"Yep, right in there." Castiel sighs and runs his hands through his tangled hair.

"I really don't want to talk about it, princess," he says finally. "Don't push it."

"Okay. It can wait until your headache's gone," I compromise. "But you owe me an explanation."

"For _what?"_ he snarls. I stare directly at him, holding my ground. I need to get everything out _right now._

"Because I tried to help you, and you lashed out," I say firmly. "You lashed out, and when you learned that I was right, you bolted and nobody heard from you for a week. Then we came to find you because we were worried, and we find you drinking your youth away in a trashed house, which, by the way, Rosa has been cleaning for you. I got you to stop drinking and Lysander went to get food because every single cabinet is empty. _And_ because we've stayed here all day to make sure you're alright. And most importantly, because we did all this even though you've been an absolute _bitch_ to all of us." He has the nerve to grin.

_"And_ because you love me," he adds. I don't think now would be a good time to mention that he declared his own love for me not too long ago. He won't remember it if he doesn't remember being in a bathtub, and he was completely intoxicated. People say insane things when they're under the influence, but he knows the truth about how I feel now, so there's no point in denying it.

"And you hate me, and that's the end of it," I say tersely, finally looking away and crossing my arms. Castiel chuckles and stands up, coming over to me and putting his hands firmly on my shoulders.

"Hey," he says, tilting his head to try and meet my eyes. I dodge his gaze until he finally gives up, grabbing my face and forcing me to look at him. "Hey, you didn't _really_ believe that, did you?"

"You were very convincing, Castiel. I _still _believe you."

**This and the next chapter are two of my favorites in the whole thing, so expect them to be out a little sooner :) So whaddya guys think Castiel's gonna do about Nelly thinking he hates her?**

**Love yah,**

**Ava**


	14. The Question

**CASTIEL MASON**

_Oh, no, no, no…_

"Nelly," I say carefully, "I don't hate you. I don't." Nelly starts blinking fast, and she tosses her head to get my hands off of her shoulders. Her arms are still crossed stiffly across her chest.

"Really, hotshot? _Really?_ I believe we've been over this. You were only too happy to ditch me for that good for nothing passé of yours, despite the fact that they hate _you. _You must hate _all _of us to be okay with hanging out with them instead."

She has a valid point, I'll admit, but if only she knew how wrong she was.

"I don't give a damn about _any_ of them!" I say. The conversation is actually making me forget about my pounding skull. "You know how they are!"

"Yeah, I do, and you still chose them over me!" I can see tears forming in her eyes, and I feel some in mine as well. I reach for her, but she cringes at my touch and pulls away. Will I ever be able to fix this and still keep my rock hard reputation? My ego? _Apparently not._ Does every guy go through this? Realizing that he either has to break and admit that he loves a girl or lose her? Well, all I can say to that is God bless the male species. I reach for her again, but this time I don't let her get away, pulling her to me and creating a cage around her with my arms.

"That was a huge mistake," I say, letting down my guard completely. This had better pay off, or I'm swearing off women for the rest of my life. "I'm so sorry, Nelly. I was…_I was scared,_ okay? I was scared that you were going to leave just like Deborah did, so when she came back…I don't know, I guess it was just an excuse not to take the risk. And then I find out everything about her was fake; everything I was forcing myself to believe was fake. But by then I had already ruined everything by three stupid, impulsive words…" I feel Nelly exhale, and my heart flutters inside my chest_. Did it work? Did it really work?_

"So…you _don't _hate me?" she clarifies.

"God, no! Didn't you hear anything I just said?" I gaze around the room, realizing that I'm going to have to do it. I pull away and take her small hands in mine, the confusing color of her eyes making me dizzy. _C'mon, Cas, you can do this…it's just three little words… _I take a deep breath and close my eyes, unable to endure her burning glare any longer. The words come out, barely audible.

"I love you." After I say it, I can't bring myself to open my eyes. I don't want to see her face. Is she disgusted? Disbelieving? Irritated that it took me so long to figure it out?

Suddenly and with my eyes still closed, I feel the pressure of her lips on mine. She's _kissing _me? After everything I've done, she still wants to kiss me? I'm a little shocked, but I'm not about to complain. That fire that she ignites inside of me consumes my entire being, threatening to overcome my mind and my senses. I wrap my arms around her again and pull her in, deepening the kiss. I've kissed Nelly countless times before, but somehow this one feels like the very first. At any rate, it's the only one that's mattered up until now.

She kisses me in a frenzy, her lips moving so fast I can barely keep up. She pours her heart and soul into it, and I give her all I have in return. I feel _hungry; _hungry for her. I don't know if I'll ever get enough, if she'll ever be close enough to satisfy this gnawing hunger. I wonder if she feels it too.

I don't deserve this. I don't deserve this feeling. But does anyone, really? Is there anyone in the world who really, truly deserves to be hopelessly in love, and to have their love returned? I don't think there is. No sensation _in the world _can compare to the feeling of being in love and having your love love you back. It completes everything.

When she finally breaks the kiss, I realize that during the course of it I somehow sandwiched her between my body and the wall. Even though our lips are no longer touching, we keep our heads bent together and our arms around each other. It feels so right. Finally we're where we both belong.

There I go, being sentimental again. But this time, I don't even care.

"Hey, hotshot, you know what would be a great idea?" Nelly whispers, a mischievous smile creeping to her lips.

"Mmmmn, what?" I ask, kissing her nose gently.

"If you brushed your teeth." Her comment takes me completely by surprise, and we both start cracking up, because she's absolutely right. Even though I'm approximately 95% sober now, I bet my breath still reeks. But she kisses me again anyways, this time with even more passion.

When we part for the second time, we decide another really great idea would be to go find Lysander and Rosalya. Both of us are equally surprised that they didn't hear Nelly breaking the lamp and our shouting several minutes ago.

My headache is almost completely gone by now; probably a record time for a hangover, but they say that pain is all in your mind. A dull throb still lingers, but really the only thing that's in my mind is Nelly; there's no more room for pain. However, there's plenty of room in my stomach for a Domino's delivery, if anyone else is interested.

Lysander and Rosalya are in the basement, and it seems that they've discovered Mom's collection of vintage clothing, which explains why they didn't hear us.

"Castiel! You're awake!" Lysander says as we come down. "How do you feel?"

"Like hell."

"I bet," Rosa laughs. "You were practically drowning in beer. Where'd you even get it all?"

"My dad's secret stash."

"Ah," Lysander says with a smile. "I probably should've figured that out."

"Yeah, you would've if you were smart," I snicker. "My head is killing me, though."

"Well, there's no medicine or food anywhere, so I don't know what to do about that," Rosalya says. I scowl at her.

"I know what's in my own house."

"We could always go somewhere," Lysander suggests. "It would be good for you to get out of the house. You'd have to take a shower, though," he adds, wrinkling his nose at my scruffy appearance. I should really go take a look in a mirror.

Rosalya puts a hat on Nelly's head as she passes us, going upstairs. The rest of us follow her, and Nelly points me upstairs to take that shower. I growl and sulk upstairs while they plop down on the couch, Nelly in the middle as usual. They start talking, not realizing that I can hear them from my room.

"So he wasn't really acting any different, huh, Nel?" Rosa comments.

"No. Turns out it was all a big misunderstanding," Nelly says.

"That's good to hear," Lysander replies.

"Yeah…yeah I'm glad."

"Oooh, I know that look!" Rosa squeals. "What happened?"

"He…" Nelly hesitates, unsure how to answer her. Finally she settles on, "Sorry, Rosa. I don't kiss and tell."

"Ah! He kissed you!?"

"No." Ha, that's right. _She_ kissed _me._

"But you just said-"

"Let it be, Rosa," Lysander cuts her off.

"Thanks Lys," Nelly laughs. "But for the record, everything is absolutely perfect now. Interpret that as you will."

"Oh, I _am,"_ Rosa says suggestively. "I'm telling you, tonight at my place…"

"Shut _up,_ Rosa!"

"I'm telling yah…"

"Rosa, please stop."

"Fine," Rosalya gives in. I chuckle to myself, because they have no idea I heard everything that was just said. Oh, well. Nelly can come over here Friday night any time, and I won't protest. Not that I expect _that_ to happen anytime soon, what with Mr. Faraize hating me and all, but even if we did do it, I would want it to be special with Nelly. With Deborah it was just a routine. It was expected. This time around, everything will be different, and this time it'll be real. I'm determined to get my full share of 'realness' this time around.

Once I'm done with my shower, I comb through my hair and tie it up to keep it from soaking through my shirt. I threw out all of my tacky t-shirts and chains when Deborah came back, so I don't have any red anymore; mostly just black and brown. All of my clothes look hideous with my hair, so I'm either going to have to dye it back to my natural color or go buy a new wardrobe. Again.

I remember to brush my teeth before I go downstairs.

"Hey, Cas, you ready to go?" Rosa asks as I trump down the stairs. I still have a headache and I'm a little dizzy from not eating, but I feel a lot better.

"Yeah. Can we get pizza?"

"We could go to Marco's in town," Lysander suggests. Marco's is Amoris's own personal pizzeria. It's also the hot teen hangout, which means that there will probably be lots of kids from school there, especially seeing as it's a Friday evening. It's going on six o'clock now...the busiest time of the day. It sounds like a deathtrap to me, but I'm starved and the only thing that sounds good is pizza. So I agree.

"Yeah, whatever works."

"I've never known you to be so agreeable," Rosalya jokes.

"I just want pizza," I shrug, not really in the mood to argue. Pizza is literally the _only thing_ that sounds good.

They drove here in Rosalya's car, so Rosa insists on driving to the pizzeria. Lysander calls shotgun and I sit in the back with Nelly. Even though we talk with Rosa and Lysander pretty much the entire way there, it's all I can do not to pull her against me and kiss her again, and I can tell by the way she keeps crossing and uncrossing her legs that it's hard for her too. I'm not sure what we're doing about telling Lysander and Rosalya; I'm not even sure if we're _together._ I want her to be my girl, officially. I remember from Rosa and Leigh's original dramas that relationships can never just be assumed, they have to be confirmed, or everything gets messed up. I guess that's kind of what happened with Nelly and I, too. If we had been official when the band showed up, there might not have been so much drama.

In my head, I start formulating a plan.

"Oh no!" Nelly gasps as we walk into Marco's. "Uh, guys, can't we go somewhere else…?" The place is packed, as expected, but I don't see what she does.

"What is it?" I ask, my hand subconsciously sliding around her waist.

"Oh, yeah, let's just go somewhere else, it's too busy," Rosa agrees nervously. Apparently she sees it too. But what…._oh. Of course._

The band is here; all of them, even Sam. Are you _serious?_ All I want is some damn pizza, and they have to show up and ruin it for me! It doesn't work too well with my plan, either. To make matters worse, Katherine is also here with Nathaniel and Amber.

_Why does the world hate me?_

"It's up to you guys, I don't really have a preference," Lysander says. Nelly suddenly straightens up and lifts her head.

"I think we should stay," she says. "Who cares about them? They don't dictate what we do, right?" Right. _Right. _They're just more customers; we don't even have to acknowledge their presence. And who knows, they might not even notice us.

We sit at a booth, and Nelly and I sit together with our backs to the uh, _people we don't want to see. _A waitress comes to take our order, and we get an extra large with tons of toppings. Just the sound of it makes my stomach growl. We make small talk about what's been going on at school while I've been gone, which isn't much, until we finally get noticed.

"Hey, guys. What're you doing here?" Thank goodness it's Sam's voice.

"We're getting food," I say crossly. "What're you doing here?"

"Wow, what a coincidence, I'm doing the exact same thing!" Sam jokes. None of us laugh, and he tugs on his ear awkwardly.

"Sam, what're you….? _Oh!_ He lives!" Trent says, coming up behind Sam with a goofy grin. "Where you been, Cas?"

"Hiding out in a closet, probably," Nancy drawls, joining the crowd next to our booth. Fantastic. I knew it would be impossible for us to go by unnoticed, and now they're ganging up on us.

"Man, Mr. Faraize sure is pissed at you not showing up," Victor laughs. He glances at Nelly and winks. "Ain't he, sweetie? But damn, I'd suffer his wrath any day for a taste of his delicious daughter…" Victor licks his lips and leers at her.

"Get lost," Nelly snaps. A sudden thought crosses my mind: has Victor done anything with Nelly since I've been gone? It's not like I ever gave her a reason not to... Victor pinches Nelly's side teasingly and she jumps. I have never wanted to punch someone so badly. If I did, though, we'd get kicked out and I wouldn't get my pizza. I am _getting _that pizza, so I resort to words.

"Buzz off, Victor," I snarl. "She's not interested."

"Oh, so you're speaking for her now, are you?" Victor taunts. "Has she lost her voice? Oh, I see, we have an Ariel on our hands! Well, sweetie, a kiss should do the trick." He takes a strand of her orange hair and places it behind her ear ever so gently. "Whaddya say?"

"Puh-_lease,_ Victor," an all-too familiar voice giggles. "It's only _true love's_ kiss that works. Castiel and his little mermaid _must_ be in love, because he cheated on me to be with her!" The voice that used to give me shivers fills me with hatred now.

"No one's interested in what you have to say, Deborah," I say in a bored tone. There's no point in pointing out her lie, because everyone whose opinion matters already knows the truth.

"Ugh, you're such an idiot. _So_ glad I don't have to pretend to like you anymore. It was _exhausting,_ really. C'mon guys, they're not worth it." They saunter away back to their booth. Sam lingers for an extra moment to give us an apologetic glance, but he ends up rushing after them like a lost puppy. I let out a heavy sigh and drum my fingers on the table, staring intently at my Coke. Nelly shudders and takes a sip of her drink.

"Be glad you're rid of that bitch, Castiel," Rosalya says, disgusted.

"Oh, I am," I reassure her. "Believe me."

"I think it best that we avoid them altogether," Lysander suggests. "One day, their behavior is going to come back to bite them, and we don't want to be guilty by association."

"Amen," Nelly says, holding up her glass of pink lemonade. At that moment, the waitress brings out our pizza and we dig in. I don't' think I've ever tasted anything so good, but I haven't really eaten actual food in the last couple days, so I may be biased. I vaguely remember having something to eat earlier today with Lysander and Rosalya and Nelly, but I was still intoxicated at that point, I think.

I never want to see another can or mug or anything that's full of beer again_. Ever._ I don't even want to see _Dad_ drinking it. The thought makes me nauseous, so I focus on the pizza, mentally preparing myself for my big plan. It's not really that big, I don't guess, but it's still important.

"Are you coming back to school Monday?" Nelly asks, wiping her hands clean on a napkin.

"Depends," I shrug. "I don't really want to go back to school without a girlfriend, though. You know, since I left with one? Just an egotistical guy thing, I guess." Rosa laughs and Lysander raises an eyebrow, a smile tugging at the corner of his lips.

"Oh?" Nelly leans over on her elbow and looks at me. "What're you going to do about that, then?"

"Well, I guess I'm going to have to start looking around. Shouldn't be too hard; I _am_ irresistible, you know."

"I see. Well, let me know." The tone in her voice lets me know that she knows what's going on. I grin and turn my head to see her better.

"Why, are you interested in applying?" Nelly taps her chin thoughtfully.

"If I was…how good would my chances be?"

"Well, what do you think?" I ask, leaning back in my chair and putting on an equally thoughtful expression.

"I think that at the end of the day, the guy is supposed to make it official." Ah, she's got me there.

"Alright, alright," I sigh, trying to keep things as casual as possible. Lysander and Rosalya are both grinning like idiots. Nelly pivots her body expectantly, not succeeding in hiding her smile. "Nelly," I begin, "will you be my girlfriend?" Rosalya claps enthusiastically and Nelly stops trying to not smile. Her grin lights up her entire face.

"Yes," she agrees happily, leaning against my shoulder. "But just so we're clear, I'm not your girlfriend, you're _my_ boyfriend."

"Whatever, sweetie."

"Don't you dare call me that."

"Whatever, _princess."_

"Much better." I smirk and slide my arm around her shoulders, and that's how we stay while everyone finishes eating and talking. But of course, it would be too easy to leave without being interrupted again.

"CASTIEL!" _Oh, God, please… _"Castiel, what are you doing with her!? And _YOU!_ I told you to stay away from him!" Amber seems to have caught sight of us on her way out of the door. Her voice is shrill and loud, attracting the attention of just about everyone in the restaurant. Just our luck, huh?

"Amber, please go away," Nelly murmurs, taking a sip of her lemonade. She doesn't even make eye contact with the blonde.

"B-b-but you…._him!"_

"Yes, they're together," Rosa says irritably. "Please leave, people are staring."

"Amber, we're leaving," Nathaniel says, coming up to his sister. When he sees who she's talking to, his expression darkens. "Castiel," he addresses me curtly. Katherine joins them, and now we're surrounded again.

"Natty boy," I respond just as rudely. I nod my head in Katherine's direction, and her hazel eyes narrow. It's hysterical how much she hates me, having never actually really talked to me.

"We've missed you at school," Nathaniel says, an accusatory tone in his voice.

"Been busy."

"I'm sure. You realize that if you don't have a legitimate excuse, you'll be suspended three days for skipping a week of school."

"He was sick," Nelly defends me. Damn right I was.

"Well, if he has a doctor's note we can clear this right up"

"I think we all know that I don't like notes." Nathaniel sighs and runs a hand through his hair. He seems stressed, but what else is new? Katherine doesn't look too happy either, and Amber is _fuming._

"Lysander," Nathaniel says, looking at my friend, "was Castiel really sick?"

"Castiel had a very good reason for not coming to school," Lysander replies. "Whether or not he was sick is a matter of opinion, however, had I been in his shoes, I would have neglected to attend school as well." I'll have to remember to thank him later.

"I'll bet he was with her," Amber whines, pointing a manicured finger at Nelly.

"Amber, Nelly _has_ been at school," Katherine says softly.

"I didn't ask you!" Oh, so Amber hates Katherine, too? Nathaniel looks like he's about to respond to Lysander, but Katherine puts her hand gently on his arm.

"Nat, we really shouldn't do this here," she says, keeping her voice low. "You know what happened last time." By last time, I assume she's referring to the beginning of the year when the poor girl had to save Nathaniel's sorry ass from getting pummeled by yours truly. I can't help it; the guy pisses me off.

"You're right," Nathaniel admits. "Let's go, c'mon Amber."

"You stay away from him, _or else!"_ she threatens Nelly.

"Stay away from my boyfriend?" Nelly laughs. Amber huffs and starts to leave, but Nelly calls her back. "Hey, Amber!" she says. Amber turns around, and Nelly grabs my face and kisses me full-on, effectively massaging my lips with hers. Amber shrieks angrily at the sight.

"I hate you!" She sticks her tongue out like a baby and stomps after her brother and Katherine.

"I don't appreciate her comments," Lysander says drily, watching her leave.

"Nobody does, Lys," I say. "Hey, thanks for sticking up for me." _I remembered._

"Sure," Lysander shrugs.

"Alright. Well, I'm gonna go pay." I pay the bill at the counter, and Rosa drives us back to my house. She's going to have to drive both Nelly and Lysander back to school to get their cars and go home, but she says hopefully we can do something this weekend. Lysander suggests going and hanging out at Leigh's store, Oracle, I think it's called. I'm not really one for Victorian clothes, but it's not like I have anything better to do, and honestly, the less time I spend at my house, the better.

"You're not going to drink any more, right?" Nelly asks, sliding her hand into mine as we say goodbye on the front porch. Rosalya and Lysander have already gone back to the car.

"Don't worry," I reply softly, bending my head close to hers. "There's nothing I want to forget."

"Good." Nelly stands on her toes and kisses me gently. "Love you," she says casually.

"I love you, too." I give her one more long, lingering kiss before she says she has to go, leaving me with a promise to text. I go inside so as to not seem _too_ sentimental, but I watch them drive away from my window.

Demon starts barking at the sound of my footsteps, and I smile to myself. Maybe everything can go back to normal now.

**So what do you guys think? The drama's not over yet! What do you think will go wrong now? And because I'm sorta curious, by this point you've probably noticed Katherine and Nathaniel. I have a story planned for them, and we'll see bits of it throughout this one, albeit not much, but would you guys be interested if I actually wrote it?**

**Hope you liked that chapter!  
**

**~Ava**


	15. The Surprise

**NELLY CARTER**

When I finally get home, Mom and Mr. Faraize are waiting on the front porch, and the huggingohmygoshwheretheheckwereyouweweresoworried fest starts all over again.

"I heard you had gone with Rosalya and Lysander and that you got permission, but Nelly, you've been gone all day!" Simon complains.

"You weren't really with that awful boy, were you, honey?" Mom questions.

"What have you been doing all day?"

"Are you hungry? Have you eaten anything?"

"I'm serious, Nelly, I want the truth now!"

"Darling, go easy on her!"

"No! She never respects us, Deirdre!"

"That's true...Nelly, honey, why didn't you answer your phone?" ...Are you serious? I didn't get any calls as far as I know. I pull my phone out of my pocket and double check, only to see that I have, in fact, received _five_ phone calls and _twelve_ texts.

"Sorry," I murmur, shoving past them to go inside. As I kick off my shoes and put my things away, I begin to answer their questions. "Yes, I'm aware I was gone all day; it took a little longer than we expected. Yes, Mom, I was with Castiel. We were worried about him because he hasn't been at school. We basically spent the whole day trying to make him feel better." If only they knew how true that was. "And we actually just went to Marco's for pizza, and Lysander got McDonald's for lunch, so yes, I've eaten."

"Not very healthily, though," Mom laughs, seemingly relieved.

"What was wrong with Castiel?" Simon asks. He seems more irritated than concerned, though.

"He was really sick, and he's been having a rough time lately," I reply. It's not far from the truth, actually.

"Can't stand that boy," Simon mutters. I smirk to myself; this seems like a good time to drop the bomb.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Simon. I won't ask you to chaperone our dates, then," I reveal, unable to contain my grin. Their reactions are priceless; Mom looks like she doesn't know whether to be happy or concerned, and Simon just looks plain angry. His eyes look like they're about to pop out of his head.

"Your wh-_what?"_ he sputters. The two of them follow me inside.

"Our dates," I reply innocently. "Castiel is officially my boyfriend now, isn't that great?" I smile sweetly to illustrate my point. Mom and Simon stare at me like I have three heads, but as expected, Mom is the first to let it sink in.

"Oh, honey..." she says slowly, coming up and giving me a hug, "are you sure about this?"

"She _clearly_ didn't think it through," Simon grumbles. "Nelly, that boy will bring you _nothing_ but trouble!"

"Maybe I like trouble."

"Maybe I don't want to find you on the roof again!"

"I didn't _ask_ you to find me!"

"Nelly, you practically _begged_ for it!" I sigh and look from Mom to Simon in dismay.

"Can't you just be happy for me?" I request. "I know you don't like him, but that's only because you believe things about him that aren't true. He's a good person, really."

"Well, enlighten us, then," Simon says dryly, inviting me to sit down in the family room. He and Mom take the couch and wrap their arms around each other and I take a deep breath, knowing that unless I want them badgering me for the rest of the year, I have to tell them the truth. I sit down in the armchair opposite them and start at the beginning.

"First of all," I begin, "nothing's ever happened between us."

"Darling, Simon's picture suggests otherwise," Mom says gently.

"Okay, fine, but nothing beyond that," I correct myself. "Ever. After a while, I just got tired of denying it, and he didn't really see the point in the first place, given his reputation and all. Second, yes, he was a total jerk, but he apologized. Third, he hasn't been coming to school because a girl he thought loved him told him that she never did, and she had been lying to him for months. He's pretty damn upset, and has every right to be. And fourth, I love him. I know you never will, but just don't talk bad about him to my face, okay? I never talked bad about you, Simon." Mom raises her hand to protest, but I shake my head to silence her. Simon sighs, giving in.

"Alright," he says finally. "But please be careful. Don't let him hurt you."

"Don't worry, he won't," I say in confidence. I smile and look down at my hands, talking mostly to myself when I say, "He loves me too." The words still sound too good to be true. Mom puts her hand on heart and sighs like the hopeless romantic she is.

"We're happy for you, Nelly," she says, speaking for both herself and Simon. "And as long as you promise to be careful, we'll be completely supportive."

"Thank you," I say snidely. "Now, if you'll excuse me, I need to call Kim."

"Kim? But you haven't talked to her since the new students came to school," Simon says.

"Well, I need to ask her what I missed today," I explain. "And I need to talk to her. So...bye!" I scamper up the stairs and close the door to my room.

It's true what Simon said; I haven't talked to Kim in a long time. I guess she and Deborah had been pretty good friends, and she's been hanging with the band lately. I miss her, to tell the truth. Lysander and Rosalya are great and amazing and I love them to death, but Kim was my first friend. She helped me find my place in Sweet Amoris, and if we're really not friends anymore (because I am NOT hanging out with Deborah), then I at least need some closure.

"Wassup, little girl?" Kim's voice answers the phone. "Long time, no see."

"Yeah, no kidding," I laugh, doing my best to keep it casual. "I just wanted to ask what I missed today."

"Ummmmm...nothing. Oh! We took notes in History. But otherwise it was just a movie day. Victor asked Capucine out, though. She said yes, the little tease that she is. By the way, where was everybody? You weren't there, Castiel wasn't there again, Lysander and Rosalya weren't there...the school was practically empty!"

"Oh, well Rosa and Lysander and I all went to Castiel's house. We found him drunk in his bathtub, but don't tell anyone, 'kay? I don't want to get him in trouble."

"No shit! Are you serious?"

"Dead serious. Spent the day getting him sobered up and then went out for pizza. We ran into the band, actually."

"Oh? What'd they say?"

"Well, Deborah told Castiel that she was glad she didn't have to pretend to like him anymore." There's a pause on Kim's line.

"Say _what?"_ She says finally, disbelieving. "How can you kiss a guy like that and not really like him?"

"Kim?" I ask.

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you something, okay, actually several somethings, and I need you to be perfectly honest."

"Okay?"

"So, one, what do you think of Deborah and the band? I mean, really."

"I don't care for Nancy and Victor. But I like Trent," she replies, "and Deborah can be a little bitchy, but I can deal with her. That other guy Sam is never around. Why?" I take a deep breath.

"Well, do you like them more than me?" I finally ask. Kim cracks up.

"Uh, _no!_ But you'd just gotten so tight with Shakespeare and Rosalya, I thought you liked them better! Plus, they think I'm weird." I breathe a sigh of relief; it was all just a misunderstanding.

"Kim, that's crazy!" I laugh. "But in his defense, Lysander has every right to think you're weird after you went all fangirl on him in the beginning of the year."

"True, true..." Kim muses thoughtfully. "But I'm glad you called. So we're good?"

"We're good. Hey, you wanna come over sometime this weekend and play Mario or something?" Kim has a weakness for Mario games.

"Yeah!" she says enthusiastically. "Can I bring my boyfriend?" My jaw drops.

_"Since when do you have a boyfriend!?"_ I cry.

"Since like, last year," Kim replies with a giggle. "I think I know you well enough now to tell you where I am when I tell you I'm busy."

_"Kim!_ Who is it?"

"You don't know him; he goes to a military academy outside of town. But our dads were in the military together, so we met through them."

"What's his name?"

"Ken."

"Aww, that's cute. Are you his Barbie?" I tease.

"Shut up."

"Fine. And yes, he can come. But no make-out sessions!" I warn. "That's totally gross. And I'd better not be the third wheel."

"Don't worry, he's great. See you tomorrow!"

"Okay, and for the record, I have a boyfriend, too."

"Nel, wa-" I hang up on her. She'll just have to wait until tomorrow to hear the story.

Simon and Mom aren't opposed to Kim and her boyfriend coming over and playing video games in the basement, as long as they're not expected to do anything. So it goes down pretty well in comparison to me and Castiel.

The doorbell rings on Saturday afternoon at about a quarter after one, and I rush to the door. Kim is standing outside with who I assume is her boyfriend, Ken. He's not bad looking at all, with shaggy brown hair and emerald green eyes, biker gloves on both of his hands and the collar of his white shirt sticking up. He smiles at me and holds out his hand.

"I'm Kentin," he says, introducing himself even though he doesn't really need to. "You're Nelly, right?"

"Right!" I say, pleased that Kim told him my name. "You guys can come on in."

The video-gaming begins immediately, and it doesn't take long to find out that Kentin absolutely sucks at all things electronic. But he's a good sport, so it's okay. The only thing he really cares about is whether or not he gets to play as Luigi, but that doesn't matter, because Kim likes to be Bowser and I'm a Yoshi kind of girl.

Halfway through the game, I get a text from Rosalya asking me if I want to come down to Oracle tomorrow and hang out with her and Leigh. Lysander and Castiel will be busy making up for lost time with their band, so they can't come, she says, but it'll still be fun. Apparently Leigh lets her try on all the clothes, and he's given me special permission to join her if I want. I text her back saying that sounds fun and I don't have anything planned.

Wow, this is pretty much the first weekend I haven't hidden in my room and done homework. It feels nice to actually have something to do for a change.

Once we've pretty much exhausted every single one of my Mario games, we just sit around talking and eating potato chips.

"So how long have you guys been together?" I ask curiously. I don't bring up the fact that Kim never once mentioned her boyfriend to me; I don't know if that would offend him or not.

"Since around Christmas last year," Ken answers. "My dad was throwing a party for all of his military friends and Kim and I were the only kids there. We were pretty much forced to hang out, and we just clicked."

"It was awful! The party, I mean," Kim reminisces. "I was one of the only girls, too. But that doesn't really matter, Nel, because you told me you have a boyfriend now?" She raises her eyebrows suggestively. "It's not hotshot, is it?"

"Yes, it is hotshot," I admit. Kim grins widely.

"I _knew_ it!" Ken frowns, looking confused.

"I'm sorry, I'm a little lost here," he says.

"Oh, sorry, 'hotshot' is my nickname for my boyfriend," I explain. _God, I can't get used to that word!_ "His real name is Castiel."

"Castiel _Mason?"_ Ken asks incredulously. "Seriously? Man, I was scared as hell of that guy my freshman year."

"Oh, you went to Sweet Amoris as a freshman?"

"Yeah, my Dad pulled me out because I was getting bullied by this Amber girl," he replies.

"And you guys hadn't ever met before then?" I ask, glancing at Kim. She shakes her head.

"Nope. I didn't move into the area until my sophomore year."

"Oh." I look back at Ken. "Amber bullies me, too, but that's only because she's in love with Castiel."

"Well, I'll tell you right now, that's never going to happen," Ken laughs. I like this guy. He's cool.

At around six thirty, Kim and Ken decide it's time to go, since they're not eating dinner here. I think Ken mentioned Marco's earlier, and they invited me, but I said no, seeing how I had pizza there for dinner yesterday.

For the first time in a while, Mom, Simon and I don't have any fights over dinner, and when I tell them I'm going to Oracle tomorrow to hang out with Rosalya and Leigh, they don't even ask if Castiel is going to be there. I'm super grateful that they're not talking bad about him anymore, but if I were to thank them it would bring up the topic again, and I've had _that_ conversation too many times.

On Sunday afternoon, Rosa texts me directions to Leigh's store, and I find it without too much trouble. It's a cute little vintage looking place in its own building, and it looks like a house, complete with a porch and rocking chairs out front. It has charm and personality, just like the clothes I'm sure are inside.

I fall in love with the store the second I enter. I was halfway expecting everything inside to be Victorian inspired, but that's not the case at all. There's something for everyone here, and everything is color coded, so if someone like me comes in and only wants to wear blue, they can stay in one section instead of wandering around the entire store looking for blue.

No matter who comes in here, I see, they're sure to find something to like. I'm seeing everything from corsets to beachy maxi-dresses to sweater vests to formal wear. Even I, who hates shopping, could probably spend half the day in here. No wonder Rosalya uses this place as her extra closet. After glancing at a couple price tags, I see that the prices are pretty reasonable, too.

I notice Leigh helping out a customer in the green section, and Rosa is in the back with all the purples. I slowly make my way to her, examining clothes on the way. Nothing really strikes my fancy, but then again, nothing is blue. That section is in the back next to the purple.

"There you are, Nelly!" Rosalya exclaims once she sees me. "I've just been picking out a few little things to try on."

"Really? A few?" I say sarcastically, eyeing mountain of clothes in her arms. "How many things do you have?"

"Umm...twenty, maybe? Give or take a few?" I gawk at her, and she laughs. "It's okay to try on a lot; we have all day. Come on, let's pick some stuff out for you! What color?"

"Blue," I say immediately.

"Oh, right, _duh,"_ Rosa laughs. She prances across the store to behind the cash register and sets down her pile of clothes, saying that she'll get them when we're done shopping for me.

"Can I help you ladies with anything?" Leigh's soft voice asks from behind us. Rosalya pivots around and smiles up at him.

"We're just looking for Nelly," she replies. "She likes blue." Leigh studies me thoughtfully with his dark eyes for a moment.

"Would you be opposed to me creating an outfit for you?" he asks. Rosa's grin widens, and I shrug, shaking my head.

"I guess not."

"Wonderful. Blue?"

"Blue." Leigh disappears in the racks of clothes.

"He does that for me all the time," Rosalya tells me. "He always picks the best things; he's pretty much a god when it comes to fashion." Rosa and I keep looking around, and Leigh comes back ten minutes later with an entire outfit in his hands.

"Try this," he instructs, handing me the clothes. Rosalya nods encouragingly, and they show me to the dressing rooms.

I don't know how Leigh figured out my sizes for everything, but he has. For my outfit he's picked out a light blue satin, low cut halter top, an a-line skirt with navy blue layers and light blue trim, and a pair of simple heels that match the top exactly. He even picked out a cute pair of flowered earrings to go along. I'm not so sure about the outfit when I see it on the hangers, but once I put it on and tuck the shirt inside the skirt it comes together, and I love it. Rosalya was right; he _is_ a god when it comes to fashion, because it's really difficult to find clothes I like.

"You ready, Nelly?" Rosa calls from outside. Self-consciously, I step out from behind the curtain. Leigh smiles, pleased with himself, and Rosalya squeals.

"I didn't think I would, but I actually really like it, thanks," I say to Leigh.

"I'm glad, because we're running late," Leigh replies, glancing at a clock on the wall. I furrow my brow in confusion.

"Late for what?" I ask. "As far as I know, this is what we're doing all day."

"That's because you know nothing," Rosalya says, a smile creeping onto her face. "Castiel's coming to pick you up in like ten minutes! Surprise!" I'm not sure whether to be angry or excited, but I can't keep from grinning.

"Are you _kidding?_ You set this whole thing up for a surprise date?"

"Castiel was apprehensive of your parents, so he didn't want to go to your house," Leigh explains, "and Rosa and I decided to have a little fun with it."

"I thought they had to practice today, though."

"They did. Castiel and Lysander have been playing all day."

"I'm not even dressed for a date!"

"Nelly!" Rosa cries indignantly. "Look at yourself! All we have to do is your makeup, so come on!" She yanks on my arm and drags me into the ladies' room, where I'm horrified to see lipsticks and eyeliners and mascaras waiting. Without blinking an eye, Rosalya starts applying makeup to my face, despite my protestations. I obey her instructions, though, because I'm a little nervous she might poke me in the eye on accident if I don't. It takes her all of about five minutes, and then she brushes through my hair roughly before attacking me with a blow dryer.

"Five second windswept look!" is her only explanation.

When she's done, I hardly recognize myself, just like last time. But, also just like last time, I find myself liking this new look. I really should get Rosalya to give me instructions.

Rosa ushers me out of the bathroom, and Leigh puts the finishing touch on my outfit in sliding a navy blue sweater around my shoulders.

"Do you know where we're going?" I ask them. Leigh and Rosalya both shake their heads.

"He wouldn't say," Leigh tells me, "which is why Rosa and I decided on a polished, yet casual daytime outfit for you."

"Okay," I say, patting his shoulder to humor him. I don't really understand the importance of it all, but I guess I do like to look nice. Thanks to Leigh and Rosa, I won't be going on my date in a plain gray sweater and faded jeans.

Suddenly, a car horn honks outside.

"That's him! Go on!" Rosalya encourages, pushing me out the front door. She and Leigh stand with their arms around each other, acting like they're my parents watching their daughter leave to prom. Looking at Leigh, I remember something very important.

"Oh, Leigh! I have to pay you!" He waves my comment away.

"Don't worry about it," he says kindly. "Letting me pick it out is payment enough."

"Oh, thanks, that's really nice," I say, taken by surprise. The truck honks again and Rosa steps away from Leigh to shove me out the door. I almost twist my ankle again in my heels.

"Watch it!" I snap, but I'm not really angry. I feel as light as a feather, and find myself prancing to Castiel's truck.

"Hey, princess," he says as I slide in, grinning mischievously. I slap his arm playfully.

"Why didn't you tell me we had a date?" I ask.

"Leigh told me that surprise dates are always the most fun," Castiel shrugs. "Not that I'd put any stock into what Leigh says, of course. He doesn't know anything."

"Of course not," I say sarcastically, unable to wipe the stupid smile off my face. Castiel smiles, revs up the truck, and starts driving to the special location. "Where are we going?" I ask him.

"It's a surprise."

"Come _on!_ You're just going to torture me until we get there?"

"No offense, Nel, but it's a lot of fun to torture you."

"Well, when do I get to torture you?" I ask.

"When you figure out how," he smirks. "Good luck with that."

"Oh, I'll figure it out," I say, crossing my legs and tapping my chin. "Hmmm...if I guess it, you have to say yes, alright?"

"Whatever."

"Hmmm..." I take a moment to think about it, and then it hits me. "Being told what to do," I declare. "That's it."

_Silence. _

"Yes! I knew it!"

"You think you're pretty smart, don't you?" Castiel laughs.

"I'm smarter than you," I retort, still grinning. We're in the car for a good hour, but the time flies by. Finally, we pull into a spacious green lot, decorated with...hot air balloons? Is he serious? And if he is, could he possibly be more perfect?

_No,_ I decide. _No he could not._

We get out of the truck and sure enough, he takes my hand and leads me closer to the balloons.

"Hello, can I help you?" A man with an Italian accent approaches us, wearing a name tag that says Philippe.

"Well, we want to ride the balloons," Castiel tells him. Philippe nods, shaking his entire body.

"Right 'zis way, young people," he says, bouncing away towards a balloon. I stumble in the uneven grass, and only then does Castiel notice my high heels.

"Get those ridiculous things off," he grumbles. "I don't want to take you to a hospital if you break your ankle again. It'd really put a damper on the whole thing."

"It wasn't broken, it was sprained," I correct him, "and it's Rosalya and Leigh's fault." Nevertheless, Castiel bends down and rips the shoes off my feet, handing them to Philippe as we enter the balloon he's assigned us.

"Could you hold these until we come down?" Castiel asks Philippe. "My girlfriend here has a problem with falling over in heels and I'd like to take her home in one piece, if everyone's okay with that."

"I understand completely, strange boy!" Philippe says agreeably, taking the shoes from Castiel. "'Ze girl's father is a big man, no?"

"No, he's just a lunatic," Castiel responds, keeping a completely straight face. I laugh at his description of Simon. "How long is the ride?" he asks.

"'Ze ride is one hour. Mr. Zeeman here will be your pilot," he says, referring to a man I hadn't noticed, standing in the corner of the balloon. Philippe holds out a clipboard, saying "I 'vil need both of you to sign 'ze waiver saying that it is not Mr. Zeeman's fault if you fall out." Castiel and I both sign the form, and Castiel hands the man a check for however much the ride costs. I almost feel guilty, because it's probably expensive, but I'm too excited to care at the moment. Philippe says a merry thank you and bounces on his way to greet the next customers. Mr. Zeeman closes the gate to the balloon after Castiel and I have stepped inside and gives us a quick briefing on balloon safety. Most of it is common sense. He finishes his speech with telling us to forget that he's even there, which should be easy.

The balloon lifts off the ground, and Castiel and I stand on the opposite side from Mr. Zeeman, watching the ground become farther and farther away. As we rise higher in the air, the beautiful view steals my breath from my lungs. Castiel's strong arm wrapped around my waist doesn't help.

"Hope you're not afraid of heights," he snickers. I roll my eyes, a habit I've picked up from him.

"You wish," I laugh.

"Why would I wish that?"

"You'd have an excuse to squeeze the life out of me," I say.

"Ah, but I'm going to do that anyways," he responds, a certain gleam in his steely gray eyes. He gets behind me and wraps his arms around my front, pulling me against him. The sun begins to set in the distance, and lost in the moment, I turn my head around and kiss him, feeling like Rose from the Titanic, almost literally at the top of the world. If Castiel doesn't die anytime soon, our love story will be even better than theirs.

Castiel kisses me back slowly, both of us savoring every moment. This feeling never gets old. I don't know if it ever will. I hope not; I would _die _if I couldn't feel this anymore. I turn around completely and press my body against Castiel's as his fingers travel through my hair, caressing my face even more gently than his guitar. I keep my arms around his neck. The kiss never becomes more than it is; simple, pure love. When we break apart, I lean my head against his chest, he wraps his arms around me, and we watch the sun set over the canopy of trees, light reflecting off of the tiny river in the distance.

I imagine this was all very awkward for Mr. Zeeman.

**I thought everyone deserved a little break- major drama next chapter! And, like, if you can't tell what a hopeless romantic I am by now something's seriously wrong with you :) Tell me what you thought!**

**~Ava**


	16. The Diamonds

**CASTIEL MASON**

The sun sets behind the trees and the balloon soars through the air, creating a breeze that gently tousles my hair. I watch the scenery go by, holding Nelly close and mentally patting myself on the back for planning such a perfect surprise date. This couldn't possibly get any better, and I gradually find myself sinking into an absolute _ocean_ of sentimentality. Whether or not I ever marry Nelly (I never saw myself getting married, but then again, I never saw myself kissing a girl on a hot air balloon either), or if we go our separate ways after high school, she'll remember this forever. _I'll _remember this forever.

I lean down, brushing my lips across hers softly before bringing them to her ear.

"You know I love you, right?" I whisper. "You still believe me?"

"I love you more," she murmurs against my chest.

"I highly doubt that, princess," I smirk, holding her tighter. _My princess._ Does that make me her prince? For some reason, I can't envision myself as a prince, especially not in tights and a silly cape. Nelly, however, fits the image of a princess perfectly. I wonder if we'll go to prom. We, meaning pretty much everyone I'm friends with, skipped over Homecoming like it didn't even exist, but maybe I'd like to go to prom. I'd either love it or hate it, I think.

The balloon lands too soon for my taste, but everything about the ride was priceless, from the way the wind combed through my hair to the way Nelly lit up when she saw the view, to the way she kissed me like we were the only two people in the entire world. I'd like to do it again, but unfortunately the trip has left my wallet considerably lighter. I'm not bitter about that, though; I'd do it again in a heartbeat.

We thank Mr. Zeeman and step off of the balloon, and Philippe scampers over to hand Nelly her stupid shoes. He grins broadly and winks at me.

"'Ze girl is in one piece, no? Her father 'ze lunatic 'vil be pleased?"

"Ah, you see, I've manipulated the situation so that I don't actually have to _see_ her father," I respond, tapping my head. Philippe laughs and claps his hands.

"You are a clever strange boy! Did 'ze lovers enjoy 'ze ride?"

"Yes, it was beautiful," Nelly replies with a smile, bending down to slide on her shoes. "Thank you."

"Do not thank me! Thank strange boy!" Nelly obliges, hugging my arm and grinning up at me.

"Thank you, strange boy," she says, giggling at Philippe's name for me. I really resent that nickname; it doesn't make sense and I'm not sure how I earned it. I roll my eyes and jerk my arm out of her grasp, and Philippe holds his hands to his heart.

"Ah, young love," he sighs. "It is 'zuch a beautiful thing. Well, go on your merry way, lovely couple!" He points us towards the car, and we leave the lot, still reliving the flight in our heads.

"That was _so cool,"_ Nelly says, shooting me a huge smile. "I still can't believe it." I don't know how to respond, so I just smile back and keep my eyes on the road, scared that I'll crash if I look at her.

Everything in my life is perfect until the week before Christmas break. My relationship with Nelly is surreal, my friends come back to me, and before long we're all chatting like nothing ever happened in the first place. What I did will haunt me forever, but everyone else seems to have forgiven me. Most of the band just ignores us now, but Sam comes and talks on occasion. Nelly was right, as usual; he is the only respectable person in it. Kim has also ditched the Stars from Nightmares group, and although I really don't like her, I tolerate her presence for Nelly and Nelly alone. The good thing is that she hasn't tried to fangirl again, and she really doesn't talk much unless she has something very important to say.

Nelly and I have been on a few dates, but since nothing can really live up to the balloon ride, a lot of times she just comes over to my house and we'll jam for a while before sitting down to watch a movie, usually from the horror genre, because she thinks action movies are boring ("Things are always blowing up but you have never have any idea _why_ they're blowing up!") and I still think romances are ridiculous, despite the fact that I'm living my own love story. Though she did persuade me to watch _Phantom of the Opera_ on one occasion, we have a common love of horror movies that we gladly indulge in, and I love how she'll pretend to get scared as an excuse to bury her face in my shirt, and for me to put my arm around her. Her touch drives me insane, and there are times when I can barely control myself. It's a little hard being the guy when we watch the movies though, because stereotypically, I'm not supposed to get scared, but because I live in a huge house all by myself, _Paranormal Activity _gave me legitimate nightmares, and I still think about it every time I walk up the stairs in the dark. Demon sleeps in my room now regardless of whether he wants to or not, but I'm seriously beginning to regret his name.

The school also held an orienteering event, which Nelly convinced me to do with her. Of course, I ended up getting us lost, so we hung out next to a boulder for hours, and it was eventually Lysander who found us. It was quite possibly the most awkward scenario I've ever been in in my life, because he might have stumbled upon us right after I fell asleep on her lap.

It's December 17th when karma finally catches up with me. The universe has remembered that it hates my guts, and it wants to make up for lost time. Nelly hadn't come outside after going to her locker, and I got the feeling something was up, so I went inside to find her. The second I walk in, I'm greeted with angry shouts echoing down the hall.

"See Mr. Faraize? She stole my jewelry!"

"Simon, I didn't! She's framing me!"

"Look for yourself, Mr. Faraize, the evidence is all there! How else could it have ended up in her locker?!"

"I just have a hard time believing Nelly would-"

"You're just letting her off the hook because she's your daughter!" Amber screeches. "That's totally unfair! Even my own brother, idiot that he is, got me in trouble when I was bad!"

"Simon, I _didn't..."_

"She's right, everything that went missing is in your locker, Nelly."

"Because she put it there!"

"And how on earth would she have been able to get into your locker?" Mr. Faraize challenges.

"I...I don't know, but she did! Simon, you know me, I wouldn't do this!" I watch the scene from behind a group of freshman, not knowing whether to join in the argument or to hold my piece. Finally, deciding that my presence might be a comfort even though I don't know what to say, I come up behind Nelly and put my hands on her shoulders. Mr. Faraize takes one glance at me and narrows his eyes. _Uh-oh...maybe that was the wrong decision._

"Nelly, I think we both know that I don't really know you at all," Mr. Faraize says, a dead tone to his voice. "And I'm going to be required to address this problem as an administrator, not as a parent. The evidence is all there, Nelly, so I'm going to have to report it."

"But I'll get suspended! Or expelled!" Nelly cries. I squeeze her shoulders to calm her down, but it doesn't work. She's practically having a panic attack.

"Maybe you should think about that the next time you steal something," Mr. Faraize says calmly. He shoots me a pointed glance, and my blood freezes inside my veins_. He thinks I got her to do this._

Mr. Faraize rushes away to the principal's office, and Nelly flips herself around to bury her face in my chest.

"I didn't do it, Castiel," she tells me.

"I know, princess," I whisper, planting a kiss on the top of her head. She hugs me tighter, taking deep breaths to calm herself.

"You guys are disgusting," Amber drawls. Oh, yeah...she's still here.

"Go away, Amber, you've done enough," I snap. "How did you even get her locker combo?" Amber doesn't even bother to deny my accusation.

"I didn't. I paid Peggy to look it up for me." Oh, shit. Peggy is, hands down, the nosiest girl in the school. She can find out anything she wants to about anyone if it's in the school records, and locker combinations wouldn't be that hard to fine. She's achieved this status by buttering up the teachers and making them thing she's the perfect student, so even if she gets caught on the scene they don't blame her. In their eyes, she can do no wrong.

"You both could get expelled for that," I warn Amber.

"But we won't," Amber says with a poisonous smile. "Who do you think the principal is going to believe? The slut who ruined her orienteering race and the boyfriend who's made her life hell since freshman year, or Peggy and I?"

"Don't you dare..." I say in a low voice.

"Castiel, let it go," Nelly says weakly.

"Yeah, _hotshot, _let it go. We all know it's true anyways."

"You don't know anything!"

"I know more than you might think. And the principal isn't going to get me in trouble."

"You stole the exams," I remind her.

"Well, yeah, but that's not as serious." Amber takes a bracelet from the pile of jewelry in Nelly's locker. "See this? Diamonds. At least when I stole the exams, I was only taking my hatred of being tested too far. And they were just scraps of paper; they could have easily printed out more. Diamonds are irreplaceable." I feel Nelly take a shuddering breath. She knows she's done for, and I do, too. Amber knows her trade when it comes to making people miserable. I hope that Nelly will just get suspended for a few days... If she gets expelled and has to leave, shit, Amber had better watch her back.

Amber scoops her pile of jewelry into her white leather bag and prances down the hall, pleased with herself for getting Nelly in trouble. I almost have to feel bad at her stupidity, because if she thinks that getting rid of Nelly will convince me to date her when it's_ her_ fault Nelly's gone, then she's got another thing coming. Whatever Amber feels for me is ruinous; it isn't love. I know what love looks like now, and I close my eyes and hold my girl as tight as I can, as if we're bracing for a storm. We both know how serious this is, and how we're completely powerless to do anything about it. They have the evidence.

Later in the day, Nelly, Amber and I all get called to the office to discuss what happened, but Nelly and I can't even get a word in. Mr. Faraize says that he and the principal have agreed on a course of action for Nelly, but they won't say what it is. My heart is beating out of my chest. _They're going to expel her, aren't they? For something she didn't even do!_

And then Mr. Faraize utters the unforgivable words: "Nelly shall not be returning to Sweet Amoris."

Nelly gasps, and immediately starts begging for them to reconsider her expulsion. I can't even find enough oxygen to breathe.

"You're not expelled, Miss Carter," the principal tells Nelly, "but Mr. Faraize has decided that Sweet Amoris is not a good environment for you, that's all." That's almost worse, because I know he means me- I'm not good for her. He's going to transfer her because of _me,_ and he's not going to let me see her or take her out on the weekends. I literally feel my heart ripping in two inside of my chest, and I start breathing hard. _It's Deborah all over again... _

"Miss King, you may return to class," the principal says to Amber. Looking at Nelly and I, she says, "And I believe Mr. Faraize would like a private word with the two of you." With that, she stands and exits the room behind Amber. Once she's gone, Mr. Faraize stands up suddenly and paces back and forth across the room, his arms crossed. After several moments of silence, he turns to us and points an accusatory finger at me.

"You've corrupted her," he spits out. "I knew I shouldn't have allowed for this to go on, and the only reason I did was because I didn't think it would turn out like this, but now it's gone too far. You, sir, will never lay a finger on her again. And you," he says, turning to Nelly, "I thought you knew better than this. You promised your mother and I that you would be careful!"

"I didn't do it!" Nelly shouts, her voice shaking. "Amber framed me!"

"Oh, please, don't insult my intelligence. I know you two have had your troubles in the past, and that sometimes she has stepped out of line, but I also know that you've been going at her as well!"

"I never did anything to her!"

"You stole her jewelry!"

"No I didn't! Simon, I don't even _wear _jewelry!"

"You were going to sell it."

"No I wasn't!"

"Don't lie to me, Nelly! You were going to sell it and go run away with him, weren't you?!" Mr. Faraize points at me again, his eyes burning with anger, his face contorted in rage. My blood reaches a boiling point, and finally, I can't hold my tongue any longer.

"You _bitch!"_ I holler, standing to match his height. "You talk to her like that and I'll kill you!"

"Mr. Mason, need I remind you of your faults as well? I shouldn't even let you near my daughter!"

_"I'M NOT YOUR DAUGHTER!"_

_"Nelly!_ As I was saying, Mr. Mason, you smoke, you drink, you lie, you skip school, you cheat, you have no respect for your superiors-"

"I hope you don't mean yourself!"

"As a matter of fact, I do! At least I _try _to set a good example for the girl!"

"Umm, hello!? The _girl_ is right here!" Neither of us pay attention to Nelly, being too involved in our own argument, which is, ironically, about her.

"So you're teaching her to make the lives of her kids miserable, is that it?"

"I'm teaching her to do what's right! I'm only doing what's best for her!"

_"How demented are you!?"_ I scream. Mr. Faraize finally puts down his hand, glaring at me. His voice drops to a low roar, and every word he says is enunciated and precise.

"You're a selfish boy, Castiel. You only care for yourself."

_"Boy?_ I'm more of a man than you'll _ever_ be," I snarl. "And despite what you may think, I _do _care for other people."

"Is that so?" Mr. Faraize crosses his arms and walks in front of his desk, looking me straight in the eye. "Then explain to me why my daughter was found on the roof, unable to say anything but your name through her tears. Explain to me why she didn't come out of her room for a week. Explain to me-"

"Because I love her," I cut him off through gritted teeth. "Those things happened because I love her, and because she loves me. And if you think you can destroy that by taking her out of school, then you can go _straight_ to hell."

"I'm not taking her out of school, Mr. Mason, I'm sending her to a boarding school in Georgia." Now it's Nelly's turn to stand up.

_"WHAT?!"_

"Tristan Academy," Mr. Faraize tells her. "We've been looking at it for quite some time, your mother and I, and you, my dear, have just bought yourself a one way ticket."

"I didn't _do_ anything!" she screeches.

"Mr. Mason, please return to class," Mr. Faraize says, not even acknowledging his stepdaughter's comment. "If you fail to report, I will know. Nelly, we're going home."

"I am _not_ going home with you!" Nelly barks. "I wouldn't in a million years! To think I _actually thought_ you cared about me!"

"Nelly," Mr. Faraize sighs, sounding exhausted, "it's because I care about you that I'm doing this."

"No, it's not." Nelly shoots me a glance before her eyes flicker to the door, and I know what she's trying to tell me.

_Three, two, one...GO!_

We bolt for my truck. Mr. Faraize's slow reflexes take a moment to register what's happening, giving us a head start before he starts chasing after us. We barely make it into the truck before he catches up, but by then I've started the engine and am pulling away.

"GET BACK HERE RIGHT NOW!" Mr. Faraize shouts from the parking lot. _"RIGHT NOW!"_ In total disregard to his wishes, we keep driving until he's out of earshot. When we get onto the road, Nelly starts sobbing beside me.

"I-I'm so sorry," she manages. "I know this is what you were afraid of...I...I just..."

"It's not your fault," I say stiffly, blinking back my own tears. I can't cry in front of her. Nelly continues to cry, and I feel awful sitting next to her, not knowing what to say. I've never been good with comforting people; I've never had to. Every compliment I've ever given has come off as sarcastic, and every kind word I've ever said has come out wrong. I don't have any idea what to say to make her feel better, especially when I'm a mess myself.

When we get to my house, my body goes on autopilot, letting Demon outside while Nelly curls up on the couch, covering herself with a blanket and hiding her face. Not knowing what else to do, I take a half-full carton of chocolate ice cream out of the freezer and a giant soup spoon and hand them to Nelly, taking my place beside her on the couch. She smiles sadly and takes a huge spoonful of ice cream, shoving it into her mouth as I turn on the TV. Mom and Dad gave me hell when I told them I'd broken it, but they paid for a replacement.

There's nothing good on right now, so I settle for _Phineas and Ferb. _At least it's halfway amusing. Nelly told me that when she was little she would dress up as Candace for Halloween, so maybe the show will bring back happy memories...Or maybe it'll just make her sadder.

After a while, the weight weighing on both of our shoulders becomes too much to bear, and the happy voice of Phineas becomes obnoxious. How can he be so happy when we're so upset? Nelly and I finish the entire carton of ice cream together, and then Nelly asks me to turn the show off. We sit for several minutes in heavy silence.

"I can't believe this," Nelly says finally. "He's sending me to _Georgia?"_ Her voice breaks, and she lets out a single sob. I pull her to me and kiss her nose, stroking her hair.

"We'll figure it out," I promise. "I don't know how, but we will."

"Cas, everyone knows that long distance relationships never work out," she says hopelessly.

"There's no such thing as long distance anymore. We can email, text, video chat, you name it."

"We can't do _this,_ though..." she snuggles against me and leans her head against my shoulder, and I tilt up her chin and kiss her. The realization hits me like a bolt of lightning. _This is the last time I'm going to see her. _I don't know when she's scheduled to leave, but Mr. Faraize made it very clear that we weren't allowed to see each other. Every moment of this last day has to count. I can tell by the way the kiss changes that she's realized it too. The kiss becomes desperate, as if we can save ourselves with our own brand of CPR. She climbs onto my lap, straddling my body, and kisses me harder, cupping my face in her hands as I draw her closer. She will never be close enough. How is it possible for one person to be so beautiful to me? Every inch of her is perfect. She never did get that tan, and her milky white skin glistens like porcelain. Her hair is like sheets of silk between my fingers, her lips as soft as rose petals. Her voice is the voice of an angel's, even when she's crying. My heart swells every single time she says my name. I _love_ this girl. I love this girl so much it threatens to consume me and eat me alive.

And now she's going to be stolen away.

_I want her,_ I realize. I may never be with her like this again, and I need her. _Right now._ There's no point in controlling myself anymore.

In one swift motion, I pick her up and carry her upstairs to my room, laying her down on my bed. I can tell that she knows what's happening, but she doesn't protest or say she's not ready; she's done it before, I know. And yet she still gives me permission by kissing me again and positioning my hand at the hem of her blouse, silently telling me what to do. After only a moment's hesitation, I lift up her shirt and pull it over her head, revealing a navy blue tank top. I shrug off my jacket and take off my shirt as well. She trails her fingers across my bare chest, eliciting a low rumble from the back of my throat. Her touch is electric. I kiss her again, even more passionately than before.

When I taste the saltiness of her tears, I stop and pull away.

"What's wrong?" I ask. "Did I do something?" She shakes her head furiously.

"I just can't get my head around the fact that this is the last time," she reveals quietly, tucking a strand of red hair behind my ear. "But it's okay. Don't stop." A new thought has already hit me, though.

"No, it's not okay," I say, sitting up. "It's not okay at all. And this isn't the right time."

"What do you mean?" she asks, sitting up to face me. "What are you talking about?"

"We'll do this when you come back," I say with a smirk. "I want to remember it as our first time, not our last." After a moment of consideration, Nelly nods in agreement.

"That makes sense," she says. With a shy smile, she looks up and adds, "I don't know if I can wait until summer, though."

"It'll be worth it, I promise," I reply, grinning. I watch her every movement as she reaches across the bed and grabs my jacket, sliding it around her shoulders. She looks like she's drowning in it.

"I'm taking this with me," she announces, fingering the black leather. "And this," she adds, taking my red t-shirt as well.

"In that case, I get to keep this," I reply, taking her blue spaghetti-strapped top from her side of the bed. I can't exactly wear it, but her vanilla perfume lingers on the material.

"Fine with me," she says, smiling. "Can I still stay over, though? Or, until Simon finds me?"

"'Course," I reply, staring at her shirt in my hands instead of into her eyes. The thought of her spending the night here with me sends tremors through my body, especially after what almost just happened; what we just confirmed _couldn't_ happen. It takes every ounce of control in my body to keep my tone casual.

"Thanks," she sighs. "What's for dinner?" Oh, crap. Dinner. We should probably figure that out.

After about a half an hour of deliberation, we decide to conjure our inner chefs and make pancakes. She takes off my jacket to keep from getting it dirty and tucks it into her bag with my t-shirt, and I hide hers under my pillow when she's not looking. I find a new shirt off of the floor, and we go downstairs, where I promptly plop down on a kitchen chair and yawn.

"Cooking is for girls," I complain. "Tell me when it's ready."

"I don't think so, hotshot," Nelly disagrees, pulling me up from my chair. "Trust me, you don't want me alone in your kitchen."

"But I don't even know what the hell a pancake is!"

"It's a cake in the shape of a pan. Common sense!" Nelly says, pulling some ingredients from the shelves. I sigh, defeated, and pull my dad's prized griddle thing from underneath the sink. I don't even know how to work this thing.

Everything was going pretty well, considering that neither of us know how to make pancakes, until I decide it would be funny to clap my flour-covered hands in Nelly's face. It _was_ very funny, but she feels the need to do the exact same thing to me, and before either of us can stop it, I have flour handprints all over my shirt, and she looks like she has really bad dandruff or something.

Our pancakes don't turn out too great, either. I thought I had it down perfectly, and my pancake was, if I do say so myself, gorgeous, but the batter oozed out like a river when I tried to cut through it with my knife. Nelly accidentally flipped one into the trash can, which is probably where it belonged in the first place.

So, at the end of the day, we pull out the Cheerios. And they are delicious.

After we eat and mostly clean up, Nelly asks to take a quick shower to get the flour out of her hair, and I figure I should probably do that, too. I let her use my parents' shower, and I use mine, because it's a mess. She's faster than me, probably because it's a little weird to take a shower in your boyfriend's house, and by the time I come out she's downstairs on the couch playing a video game, her wet orange hair tied in a bun on top of her head to keep the water from dripping down her back. After tying back my hair and pulling on my third t-shirt of the day, I go to join her. She's wearing the jeans that she had on earlier, but instead of her floury top, she's opted for the red shirt she took from me. She looks like she's drowning in _it,_ too. It does nothing for her but emphasize her smallness. But it's mine, and she's wearing it, so somehow it makes sense.

It's almost eight by now, and I'm surprised Mr. Faraize hasn't showed up at the door yet. If he wanted to find us, it wouldn't be that hard. Teachers have access to student addresses, especially when they have a good reason for needing them. I'd say having your daughter be at the house of her good-for-nothing boyfriend is a good enough reason, but maybe he's just trying to give her time. After all, he knows that it's our last few hours together.

Night falls quickly, and Nelly and I try to keep the mood light, but it's hard. I let her win in every single video game we play, but losing quickly turns into its own challenge because she's not even trying. At eleven o'clock, my eyes are burning from staring at the TV screen for so long, and we decide to go to bed. I half expect Nelly to go to my parents; room, but she follows me to mine. I try not to react, but she knows what she does to me; there's really no point in trying to hide it.

I lie down beside her in the middle of the bed, and she rests her head on my outstretched arm, pulling the other across her body. I fall asleep listening to her breathing.

**Goodness, that was intense. I'm tired now. Anywho, hope you liked it, and let me know what you think of the latest drama! Any predictions?**

**~Ava**


	17. The Goodbye

**NELLY CARTER**

I wake up with Castiel's arms around me; the single best feeling in the world. His breathing is steady against the back of my neck, so I know that he's still asleep. I close my eyes and feel his heartbeat, trying to distract myself from the feeling of dread gnawing at my stomach. Simon is going to come find me soon, and I don't know if it would be better to have Castiel just drive me home or to wait for him here.

I don't think I could bring myself to ask Castiel to drive me home.

Am I supposed to go to school today? I don't think I am. But how, then, am I going to say goodbye to everyone else? Rosalya and Lysander and Kim, what happens to them? They probably already know; after all, Amber has trouble keeping secrets...I'm sure she's told the entire school by now.

The digital clock on Castiel's cluttered bedside table reads 7:16 AM. Not knowing how late Castiel usually sleeps in, I decide to just live in the moment, because either way, it'll be over too soon. As I lie there, though, my heart is slowly breaking with the knowledge that we may never be together like this again.

"You awake, princess?" Castiel whispers in my ear at 7:38.

"Yeah," I whisper back. "You?"

"If I was asleep, would I be talking?"

"Oh. I guess you're right."

"I'm always right."

"Not always, hotshot. It's about fifty-fifty, I think."

"Sixty-forty."

"Keep telling yourself that, and maybe someday it'll be true. Power of positive thinking, you know. Very effective strategy."

"Whatever. Get offa' me, I can't feel my arm."

"Oh, sorry." I go to sit up, but Castiel pulls me back down again.

"Oh, so _now_ you do what I say?" he teases, bringing his face close to mine.

"No," I say defensively. "I just do the opposite of what you _want."_

"Shoulda' dated a blonde," Castiel mutters, ruffling my hair as he sits up.

"If you cheat on me with Amber, you're done for," I warn, tying my hair up in a ponytail and standing up.

"Don't insult me," he grumbles. "I'd sooner date an ape than that bitch."

"Good. There's a shortage of apes in Amoris." I glance at the clock again. "December 18th," I sigh in dismay.

"You're going to miss Christmas," Castiel realizes.

"Oh, yeah," I say glumly. "I was going to get you a pink guitar," I add with a smile.

"I already got your present," Castiel reveals. My jaw drops to the floor.

"Are you serious? Oh, _Cas,_ I feel awful..."

"Don't. I got one for me, too." He fishes through the top drawer of his dresser and pulls out two necklaces, one of which he drops into my hands. I hold it up for examination.

"Oh, Cas..." It's beautiful. Hanging on the silver chain are two charms; a small red guitar, and a little diamond letter C hanging over it. Castiel holds up his, and I see that it's exactly the same except on a longer chain, and the guitar on his is blue. The letter is an N.

He drapes the long chain around his neck and helps me fasten the shorter one around mine. His fingers fumble with the clasp, but they eventually find it, and I finger the symbols lovingly.

"Where did you get these?" I ask. It'd be impossible to find something so perfect for us just anywhere.

"Leigh's got connections in the fashion world," Castiel shrugs. "You might say I blackmailed him."

"You blackmailed Leigh?"

"If you have a problem with it, I can take the necklace back," Castiel snickers, eyeing the charms on my neck.

"No, no, blackmailing is perfectly fine," I say quickly. "Thanks."

"Merry Christmas," he huffs. I follow him as he stalks out of the bedroom and downstairs to feed his dog.

I eventually decide just to wait until Simon shows up to get me, which hopefully won't be until after school today. Castiel and I pass the morning with another round of cereal, playing tug of war with Demon, and taking pictures of ourselves on our phones, which I've never done before. It's actually really entertaining, especially when Castiel tosses his dignity to the wind and starts making ridiculous faces with me. Demon even photo bombs us a few times.

At around noon, the doorbell rings. Demon runs around barking like a maniac, but Castiel and I don't even notice. We exchange worried glances, unsure of what to do. Finally, when the doorbell rings for a second time, Castiel forces himself up and walks slowly to the door. I hide behind a corner, unwilling to face my stepfather. The door opens, and I brace myself for, "Castiel Mason, what have you done with my daughter!?" but it never comes. It's not Simon; it's my mom.

"Hello, Castiel," she says politely. "I'm Deirdre, Nelly's mother. Is she with you?"

"You can't force her to come with you," Castiel snaps. Mom sighs audibly.

"What if I don't try to make her come?" she suggests. "Can I just talk to the two of you?" Feeling more relaxed now that she's not going to drag me away, I poke my head out from behind the corner.

"Hi, Mom," I say.

"Nelly!" Mom rushes inside past a bemused Castiel and gives me a giant hug. Then, flustered, she pulls away. "Sorry about that, sweetie," she apologizes. Looking back at Castiel, she asks him to join us in the family room, talking as if she owns the place, which is, of course, ridiculous. Demon makes sure she knows that she's not the boss by jumping up on her and running in circles, barking wildly.

"Ahh! A dog!" Mom screams as Demon runs around.

"Demon, go away!" Castiel shouts, pointing towards the open back door. Demon whimpers, but obeys his master, quieting down and sulking outside.

"Thank you," Mom says gratefully, holding a hand over her heart. "I thought he was going to eat me."

"He only eats innocent toddlers," Castiel says sarcastically. "Now what do you want?"

"Should we sit down?" Mom asks, gesturing towards the couch. It's still littered with video game controllers, and the empty carton of ice cream is still on the table.

"I'd rather stand," Castiel says bluntly, crossing his arms. He is _not_ making this any easier... "Just say whatever it is you have to say and then leave us alone."

"Well, first, I want to apologize for my husband's behavior," Mom begins, surprising both of us. "He was out of line in some of the things he said, and he knew it. But you have to understand what it's like to be in his position."

"Enlighten us," Castiel drones.

"Well, first of all, he knows that Nelly didn't steal this Amber girl's jewelry." My head snaps up.

_"What?_ Then why is he sending me away?" I question, sitting up straighter.

_"We're_ sending you away, darling," Mom clarifies, making sure dear Simon doesn't get landed with all the blame. With an apologetic look at Castiel, she adds, "We've been looking for alternative schooling for you for quite some time."

"Because of me?" Castiel asks. He actually sounds slightly hurt.

"Well, partly because of you," Mom admits. "But you have to understand. We just want to protect Nelly, and-"

"I'm dangerous, I know. Go on," Castiel cuts her off, his voice becoming tense.

"Anyways," Mom sighs, "Simon knew you didn't steal the jewelry. He realized it after you two left, and the only reason we didn't come last night was because he didn't know what to say to you, darling, and he didn't feel either of our presences would be welcome," she reveals, looking at me. Why is today different, then?

"So I don't have to go to this academy?" I ask hopefully.

"Well..." Mom hesitates, "if you don't, the principal has requested your expulsion unless you prove yourself innocent."

"What about being innocent until proven guilty?" I ask indignantly.

"Sweetie, the things in your locker were enough proof to expel you, sadly," Mom says. "Anyways, my point is, please don't hold Simon responsible for this," she begs, looking from me to Castiel. "It would have happened anyways."

_So that's it, then. There's no getting out of it. _

"When does she leave?" Castiel asks, his voice low.

"They want her there tomorrow evening so she can settle in and catch up on the required work over Christmas break."

_"Tomorrow?"_ I repeat, my voice cracking. I make eye contact with Castiel, and cross the room automatically, falling into his waiting arms.

"I'm afraid we have to leave now to get you packed up in time," Mom says apologetically. "I'm sorry, honey, but there's nothing anyone can do." I know she's telling the truth, and so does Castiel, because he doesn't offer up any snarky comments in response.

"Can't everyone at least come help pack...my friends...?" I beg. Mom smiles a little bit.

"Actually, I've got three kids over at the house already," Mom says. "Two girls and a boy?" The thought of Kim, Rosalya, and Lysander coming on their own to say goodbye means the world to me, and actually elicits a tiny smile.

"Can Castiel come over?" I request. Mom hesitates, and Castiel's grip tightens on me. I wish I could see his expression.

"Fine," Mom finally agrees. "But he has to leave before Simon gets home from work." Castiel lets out a breath I didn't know he'd been holding and kisses the top of my head. This isn't goodbye just yet.

"Let's get your stuff," he murmurs. I slip on my white high top sneakers from yesterday and grab my backpack from school, but that's it. I'm still wearing Castiel's red shirt, and I slept in my jeans. Castiel would've given me something else if I had asked, but I was so tired last night I honestly didn't care. Once Castiel puts Demon in the basement, we're ready to go.

I ride with Castiel in his truck, because we have to go back to the school to get my convertible and he'll need something to drive home in. Mom actually volunteers to drive home alone because she's a little worried about three teenagers running the house.

It doesn't take long to get the car, and then Castiel follows me to the house. The moment we pull up, Rosalya is running outside and throwing herself on me.

"Oh _God,_ Nelly! I'm gonna miss you!" she says, cutting right to the chase. Lysander and Kim aren't far behind, but they're much more reserved. Lysander looks utterly expressionless, but Kim does shoot me a sad smile. They're all taking it okay. I'm sure they'll miss me (come on, who wouldn't?), but they'll be fine. Castiel, on the other hand, might take some more work. I know that sounds arrogant, but it's the truth. When Deborah left, I heard that he completely changed, and even stopped playing guitar, which is a completely foreign idea to me; Castiel and his guitar are practically one being. When there was all that drama earlier in the year, he nearly drank himself to death. To make matters worse, he told me himself back before we were together that he was worried about making a commitment with me because he was afraid I would leave, and that's exactly what I'm doing. He's doing his best to put on a brave face for me, but I can see right through it. I can see it in his eyes; he's dying inside.

Castiel slams the truck door and stomps inside, not looking at anyone and brushing past Lysander and Kim as if they don't even exist. Lysander goes in after him, but Kim and Rosa both stay.

"You gonna be okay, little girl?" Kim asks, genuine concern in her voice. I give them my best effort at a smile and nod.

"I think so," I say. I've already cried out every drop of water in my body; now I'm just numb. "I'll be back this summer, though, right? And maybe spring break..."

"Well, come out whenever you can," Rosa says, giving me another hug. "The rest of us aren't going anywhere. And my place is always open, and Leigh's always at Oracle, and Lys-baby, and Cas...well, I don't think he's going to complain if you show up."

"I would say come to my house, but I know you don't like my dad," Kim giggles.

"Thanks, guys," I say truthfully. "It really means a lot."

"We'll have to video chat," Rosa says as we walk inside. "If you have a roommate I want to meet her."

"Yeah, okay."

"I don't like video chat," Kim comments, scrunching up her nose. "I'm old fashioned; texting for the win!"

"I'll make sure to stay in touch," I promise, climbing the stairs to my room. I distinctly hear Lysander and Castiel's voices behind my closed door, but they stop their conversation the second we walk in. Lysander is leaning against my closet door, and Castiel is slouching in my desk chair that looks out the window to the street. Lysander looks stressed, and Castiel just looks...dead. He never got dressed before we left his house, so he's still in a wrinkled shirt and baggy gray sweats. His tangled hair is still in the messy half-ponytail he put it in after his shower last night. There's no hint of a smile on his face, or even a smirk, and his gray eyes are missing their sparkle. I'm worried for him already.

A lot of my things are already packed in cardboard boxes lying around the room. I'm not sure what I'm supposed to bring, but since it's a boarding school, I'm guessing pretty much everything.

Kim quickly assembles another cardboard box and starts taking clothes off of hangers, dumping them on the floor in a huge pile. Lysander works on packing up my various other necessities like pictures and notebooks and the occasional movie or book or stuffed animal, and Castiel just sits at my desk, watching us. Rosa leaves the room for a second, and comes back with a huge box labeled "Oracle." She sets it at the foot of my bed proudly.

"From Leigh," she says, pointing to it. "He says as long as you send him a picture of every outfit so he can see his handiwork, you don't have to pay him."

"Are you serious?" I ask, gaping at the huge box. "He's just giving me his entire stock?"

"No, silly," Rosa laughs, slapping my arm. "Only things he thought you'd like. Although, he did tell me to warn you that he tried to expand the color palette a little."

"Well, tell him thanks for me," I say earnestly. "Seriously. This is insane."

"My brother loves gifting things," Lysander says, speaking to me for the first time. "When he runs out of things to give to Rosa, he gives things to Rosa's friends. That would be you." He looks up and gives me his little half smile.

"Well, he rocks. I probably don't even have to pack anything else."

"I would!" Rosalya cries. "A girl can never have too much clothes!"

"Oooh, I remember this!" Kim calls from deep within my closet. I smile in full when she brings out the fringed crop top I wore to the Stars from Nightmares concert, the one she bought me.

"I'm definitely keeping that," I giggle, grabbing the top and throwing it into a box. Where's the hat?"

"Was it gray?" Lysander asks.

"Yeah, it was a gray beanie."

"It's right here." Lysander tosses the hat to me, and I pull it snugly over my orange curls. I notice Castiel isn't involving himself at all, so I wrap my arms around his neck from behind and plant a kiss on his cheek.

"I love you," I whisper to remind him. He doesn't even respond, only turning his head to look out the window. I feel a sharp pain in my heart, but I can't let it linger there. If there's a chance I can make this day anything less than dismal, then by George, I'm going to do it. Despite the hopeless feeling taking root inside of me, I force a smile onto my face. But I don't let go of Castiel.

"Anyone want lemonade or something?" I ask. Everyone says yes except for Castiel, who doesn't say a word, so Rosa and I go downstairs to find the drink. Lemonade is my own personal drug; I'm addicted to the stuff.

"Is he gonna be okay? Castiel?" I ask Rosalya, taking five plastic cups out of the cabinets.

"I hope so," Rosa says with a heavy sigh. She finds the lemonade in the refrigerator and plops it on the counter. "Don't worry, though, we'll keep a close eye on him. I might be able to get Leigh to get Lys-baby to stay with him a couple days."

"I just don't understand," I admit. "I was the one who was breaking down yesterday. He was fine this morning. Now all of the sudden he acts like he's at a funeral." I turn around to fist a Sharpie out of one of the drawers and scribble everyone's names on the cups.

"Well, think about it, Nel," Rosa says, pouring a cup of lemonade for herself. "Everyone in his life has left him. His parents, the band, Deborah, and now you. I'd think it'd get old after a while."

"But I don't_ want_ to-"

"I know. I think he understands that. But that doesn't really change the fact that he's going to be alone again, does it?"

"But he's got Lysander and you!"

"Well, yeah, Lysander, but _I'm_ not really close to him," Rosalya says. "And even Lysander's gone half the time during the weekends and holidays to visit his parents at their farm. And Nel, he just found out this morning that you're leaving tomorrow, didn't he? That's like, zero time for mental preparation."

"No kidding," I grumble. "I didn't know either. Last night was just normal, and then the morning was like, woah."

_"Soo...about last night..."_ Rosa says, glancing around the kitchen. "I know this is probably really insensitive and nosy and obnoxious and all of the above, but I can't help but notice you're wearing his clothes...something you want to tell me?"

"Nope," I say, putting the rest of the lemonade back in the fridge. "It didn't happen, Rosa."

"You're ridiculous!" she huffs, rolling her eyes. "It's your _last_ night together, you _spend_ the night at his house, you wear his _clothes,_ and you're telling me _nothing_ happened?"

"Well, we slept in the same bed, does that count?"

"Did you have your clothes on?"

"God, Rosa, yes!"

"Then it doesn't count."

I can't imagine anyone else being more obsessed with a love life that isn't their own. But then again, Rosa did used to sneak around and take pictures of boys, so this is probably routine for her. She takes three cups of lemonade and I take the other two; we decided to get one for Castiel anyways.

Upstairs, the packing goes by quickly. Mom comes in to help a little bit, but she spends most of the day working on my registration for this Tristan Academy place. I allow myself this one last fun time with my friends, and even though we're packing, for a few hours I completely forget about my leaving. The only downside is that Castiel doesn't even try to pretend he's okay, which isn't like him at all.

At five o'clock, Mom tells everyone that it's time to go, because Simon comes home around six, and she knows that saying goodbye is going to take forever. I follow everyone outside to their cars, saying goodbye to Rosa first.

"I'm telling you, I want to meet your roommate," she whispers as I hug her goodbye.

"Alright, fine. And don't forget to say thank you to Leigh for all the clothes."

"I won't."

"Look out for you know who."

"Voldemort. Right." I laugh at her stupid joke and give her one last squeeze before she jumps in her little car. She waves goodbye out the window until she can't see the house anymore.

Lysander is next. I've never hugged him before, but I decide to anyways, because it's a special occasion. There's not really much to be said between us, but I get the feeling that Lysander knows what I want to say.

"We're all going to miss you," he says. "I do hope you like your new school."

"Thanks, Lys," I say. "Good luck with the band." He disappears into his car as well and drives away.

Kim's goodbye takes longer, because she was my very first friend at Sweet Amoris. I tell her to say hi and bye to Ken for me, and she makes lots of stupid jokes, which I think is her secret way of coping.

"You're so obnoxious, you know that? I actually get a friend and then she ditches me!" Kim complains.

"Yeah, I don't want to hang around losers like you," I joke, flicking her shoulder. She rolls her eyes good-naturedly and pulls me in for a hug.

"See ya around, little girl," she says finally. I wave goodbye, and she leaves too.

Castiel is last, and he's been hanging out by the garage door, not saying a word. When he finally approaches me, I choke up again, collapsing in his arms just like I did this morning.

"I'm so scared, Cas," I tell him, my entire body shaking with the reality of the situation.

"I know," he says, becoming the rock I've begun to depend on. "Me too."

"What are we going to do?" I force out. He pushes me away and holds me at arm's length, his hands on either of my shoulders. His gray eyes burn holes through my skull with the intensity of his stare.

"You're going to call me every single day, do you understand?" he says fiercely. "If you forget, I'll call you. _Every single day._I _love_ you. Don't you dare forget that. Don't you _dare."_ Without giving me a chance to respond, he smashes his lips against mine and kisses me as if his life depends on it. His arms are wrapped so tightly around me that I actually feel my feet leave the ground, and I feel like I'm going to strangle him because of the strength of my own grip. He kisses my entire face, memorizing every inch of it with both his mouth and his hands before coming back to my lips one more time.

_And then he's gone. _

I'm about to break down into another fit of uncontrollable crying, but I manage to send a quick text to Lysander before that happens.

Me: Follow C home, ok?

Lysander: I'm already there.

**Hey, sorry for the delay on this one, guys...no excuses, I'm just lazy and forgetful :P Anyways, I hope you liked it, tell me what you thought!**

**~Ava**


	18. The New Song

**CASTIEL MASON**

I drive home with my foot slammed against the gas pedal, driving at least fifteen miles over the speed limit. I can't breathe. I feel like my shirt is suffocating me, like the car is closing in on me, and that the road I'm driving on ends with a sheer drop. A sheer drop would be preferable to living through this hell.

_She's gone._ She's really gone... I can feel our last kiss searing my lips, and my skin still tingles where she last touched me. I want to slap the stupid smile right of Amber's face. I want to steal her damn jewelry myself and fire it all through a cannon aimed at her head. I want to send _her_ away to that stupid school. A thousand wants circle around my brain, but only one has any real substance.

I want Nelly back. I want my princess.

I press down on the gas harder and turn up the radio to an ear-splitting volume, changing the channel to some awful rap station because I can't listen to Imagine Dragons right now. Besides, rappers always sound angry to me. _I'm_ angry, so we can relate.

When I pull up to my house, I see Lysander's car and slam on the brakes. I don't want to talk to him right now. _Why can't he just leave me alone?! _ I'm not interested in anything he has to say. ...But I don't have anywhere to go except for inside. And what's the worst he can do, pull out a sonnet?

I decide to suck up my pride and go in to face my friend, but the second I walk inside the unlocked door and see him sitting at the kitchen table, I growl at him to get out. He doesn't move.

"Get out," I say again, stomping over to him and shoving him roughly. He doesn't even blink an eye.

"I know you're upset, Castiel," he says.

"I'm not talking to you, so whatever you think you're going to get out of me, forget it." Without thinking, I find a can of beer and pop it open with my thumb.

"Ah, I was wondering where your stash was," Lysander says, standing up. He takes the can from me before I even get to take a sip, and pours it down the sink.

"You suck," I grumble, reaching for another can. He responds by taking the entire container, strutting outside, and dumping them all in the trash can.

"I'm sorry you think that," is all he has to say on the matter. I really, really, _really_ don't want to talk to him, so I ask him one more time to leave.

"Lysander, please leave me alone."

"Sorry, I can't. I promised Nelly I'd make sure you didn't wreck your house again."

"I don't give a _damn_ what Nelly told you to do!" My entire body hurts when I say her name.

"Well, it doesn't really matter, I suppose. I would've come anyways," Lysander tells me.

"I can't _believe_ her!" I shout at the ceiling, letting my rage take control. "How arrogant is she to think that her absence is going to kill me?"

"Castiel..."

"Does she really think that she's that important to me? Well, she's not! I couldn't care less if she left!"

"The fact you're saying it proves it's not how you feel."

"And _you! You_ assume to know what I feel!"

"I don't assume. I just use my eyes."

"Stop being such a smart-ass, Lysander! It's not helping anyone!" Without waiting for his idiotic response, I run upstairs and slam the door to my bedroom. And like the pathetic loser I am, I break down. This is the first time I've cried since I was little, but now I'm sobbing like a little girl. Why is this happening?

_Stop crying, you moron. Stop crying. _

Somehow, I end up with Nelly's blue shirt in my hands, letting it catch my tears. I hold it to my face, inhaling the lingering vanilla scent and rubbing the silky smooth material against my cheek. It's almost like I have a part of her with me, but not quite. Oh, who am I kidding, it's nowhere _near_ the same thing as having her with me. I squeeze the shirt as tightly as I can and press it to my forehead as the tears continue to fall. My entire body shakes with the effort it takes not to make any noise. Can't have Lysander catching me like this; I'd die. _Again._ I've already died once today.

I hate this feeling of being so weak. I _hate_ it. It's even worse than when Deborah made me feel used, because at least I was doing something. Sure, being her emotional toy isn't exactly prestigious, but it was a helluva lot better than being alone and wanting something I can't have. I can't do anything about this; I can't even make myself stand up from my bent over position on my bed. I'm completely broken, and I hate it. _Make it stop..._

Finally, unable to control my anger for a moment longer, I stand up on a rush of adrenaline, and chuck the lamp from my bedside table against the wall. I aim poorly with my shaky hands, though, and it hits the mirror with a deafening _crash,_ breaking both the lamp and the mirror. I laugh cruelly. That's seven years of bad luck for me; as if my life didn't suck enough already.

"Castiel?" Lysander's soft, annoyingly calm voice asks from outside the door. "What's going on?"

"Oh, I'm just enjoying life!" I holler. I can feel my mind spiraling downwards into a pit of hysteria, and I collapse on my bed.

"Castiel, do you want to talk?" Lysander pushes the door ajar and stands in the doorway.

"What are you, a counselor?" I snap. He's crossed the line by entering my room. "GET OUT!" Lysander does the exact opposite, taking a few more steps forward and sitting next to me on the bed. Angry tears stream down my face, and I dash them away with the hem of Nelly's shirt.

Lysander takes my acoustic guitar from against the end of my bed and holds it out to me.

"It'll make you feel better," he says. I don't need to ask why he handed me the acoustic instead of the electric; he'd like to keep his eardrums intact. Even so, I can't bring myself to play guitar right now. I'm shaking too bad; I wouldn't be able to find any of the chords with my fumbling fingers. I squeeze my eyes shut and shake my head at him, squeezing the shirt tighter and tighter all the time. Even if I could find the strength to play, it'd only remind me of her. The weight of my necklace, adorned with both a blue guitar and her initial, weighs down on my chest like a thousand rocks.

"I can't," I manage. My anger has suddenly dissolved into pure sadness. Hopelessness. Despair. There are so many words I could use to describe my current state, but none of them are strong enough to fill the void growing within me.

Lysander doesn't say anything. He doesn't try to make me believe that it'll be okay, or that it'll get better with time. He doesn't try to minimize my own sadness with stories about kids starving in Africa or say he understands, because he doesn't. He's never been in love. I don't even think he's ever had a girlfriend, but I've never really asked. To be honest, I never really cared. I still don't. What difference does it make, in the end?

Instead of filling my head with pointless words of comfort, Lysander settles my guitar on his knee and strums a C major chord. I actually laugh. Why would he choose the major chord instead of the minor? It seems so out of place, at least in my mind. It takes me a few minutes to realize what he's trying to do: cheer me up. A minor chord won't do anything for you except give you shivers. I'm grateful for Lysander's effort, but it just doesn't work.

"Lys, I'm serious," I groan, leaning backwards on the bed. "I can't play right now. Just leave it."

"I think you should give it a try. It's always worked for you before, just like writing works for me."

"It was different before," I protest weakly.

"No it wasn't," he disagrees. "Just humor me."

"You're a bitch," I grumble, but I sit up anyways and snatch the guitar from him. I pluck on a few random strings, but nothing sticks. "I don't even know what to play," I complain.

"Play about her."

"I can't just _play _a song about her off the top of my head."

"Of course you can. Just close your eyes."

"Lysander, this is stupid."

"Humor me, please."

"Whatever." I close my eyes and picture her face in my head. I imagine her lips on mine, her hands in my hair, her bright smile that outshines even the sun. Her eyes that make me dizzy with their changing colors. Her hair that dances around her shoulders like the world's most brilliant fire. Our hot air balloon ride, our horror movie dates, and our pathetic attempts at making pancakes. The way she looked wearing my clothes. The way I felt holding her in my arms.

I strum a C major.

Then, the darker thoughts begin to fill my head, like the time I made her cry. The way she yelled at me after that concert from so long ago, and how stupid I was to have taken so long to figure out why. The anger I feel when people want to hurt her. The despair that filled me when I thought I'd lost her, the despair I feel now, knowing that I have. The anger I feel at her stepfather for keeping us apart, and at the same time, the jealousy that she has someone to look after her. The way I love her so much it hurts me _physically _when she's not around. The uncertainty that haunts our relationship now.

A C minor chord follows closely after.

The meaning of those two chords has changed so much since the first time I played them for Nelly on the first day of school. It started out as an arrogant joke that represented only my name, but now they represent both of us. Those two chords _are_ us. There's no other way to explain it.

"Play that again," Lysander says. Since I don't have the energy to say no, I obey, strumming the two chords for a second time. This time, however, Lysander adds a melody, humming along. The chords paired with his voice achieve a truly haunting effect, and somehow, portrays the emotions I feel inside; the ones that words can't describe.

We end up writing an entire song, without words, of course; just hums and ooohs and that kind of thing. I'm not letting Lysander sing a song about my girlfriend, and I can't sing. I don't think I would sing a song like that, anyways, because I do have a reputation to live up to and I keep my feelings bottled up, just like they should be. But it's still a song. It'll never go anywhere, but Lysander was right. It's therapeutic.

Lysander takes his job of babysitting me very seriously, and insists on staying the night. I have a bag of popcorn for dinner and we watch a few reruns of _Saturday Night Live_ before finally going to bed. None of them are the slightest bit funny. We clean up the shattered glass in my room, or rather, he cleans while I watch, and I give him the pink guest bedroom just because I can. I can imagine Nelly grinning her approval. He borrows some of my clothes to sleep in, but he takes them with a look of disgust in his eyes. He's a total and complete _girl_ when he comes to clothes; it has to match, and it has to be "fashion forward." I don't know what he's planning on doing tomorrow, though, because Lysander wouldn't be caught dead wearing my clothes in public, or wearing the same clothes two days in a row.

Tomorrow is Thursday. How am I supposed to make it through two more days of school? I'd just skip if I didn't have Lysander here making me go. Maybe he'll cut me some slack tomorrow. We can at least go in late.

"Make sure you set your alarm," Lysander reminds me as he disappears into the pink bedroom. Never mind. I can't say I thought I would get out that easy. But I'm not setting my alarm.

Even though I've been promising myself all night that I wouldn't, I fall asleep with Nelly's blue shirt in my hands like a toddler falls asleep with a blanket. I'm going to have to have a serious talk with Nelly when she calls tomorrow. I will not let her reduce me to a toddler.

Damn, I love her too much for my own good.

When I wake up at 7:30 the next morning, Lysander is already downstairs, wearing a new Shakespeare costume and writing in his book.

"What the hell, man?" I ask, slumping down the stairs and staring at my best friend.

"I left once you were asleep, and then I came back," Lysander explains, not looking up.

"But why are you up so early?"

"I like to be awake to see the sun rise."

"Right. Well that's great for you." Maybe I'm not the only loser in the house. "Did you let Demon out, by any chance?"

"Yes, I believe he's out now making a squirrel wish it'd never been born."

"That's my boy," I chuckle approvingly. "By the way, I'm not going to school."

"Yes you are."

"You're not my mother."

"No, but I have Nelly on speed dial. She can yell at you for me."

"What do I care if Nelly yells at me?" Honestly, that sounds great. Anything to hear her voice again.

"You're right, I guess that was stupid," Lysander admits. "But she'll be upset if you don't go."

_"I'll_ be upset if I do."

"I can't make you go."

"No, you can't."

"But I know you'll make the right decision."

Lysander is going to be the father of a very miserable kid someday, and something tells me that that miserable kid will grow up to be a very admirable person. Unlike my kid, who will probably end up as a druggie and a parent at fifteen. Yup, no kids for me.

"I'll compromise," I tell Lysander, crossing my arms. "I'll go in after lunch."

"I guess that's better than nothing."

"Damn right it is."

"I'm going on time."

"Of course you are."

"What are you going to do, then?"

"I'll take Demon for a walk," I shrug. "Clear my head." I don't bother to get dressed; no one in this neighborhood cares, and they all hate me and my family anyways. I lean outside and call for Demon, and he comes running. After fastening the leash onto his collar, I head out. Lysander leaves early for school to discuss a project with the Science teacher.

"This is fun, right, Demon?" I say as we stroll down the street. He doesn't acknowledge me at all. "Right," I answer myself. "This is way better than going to some stupid school. They pretend to teach you, but really they're just filling your head with useless facts that you're not even going to remember in two months, let alone thirty years. Then they get paid for it." I continue rambling to my dog to distract my mind, but when my phone buzzes in my back pocket that all goes downhill.

_Nelly: Hey, hotshot_

_Me: Hey princess_

_Nelly: You sober?_

_Me: No_

_Nelly: ..._

_Me: Kidding_

_Nelly: You suck :) I just left_

I stop in my tracks automatically, ignoring Demon's pulling on the leash. Why would she tell me that? My face grows hot with anger as I type in a response.

_Me: Thanks, I really wanted to know that_

_Nelly: sorry, I'm stupid. Good news though, mom said I can come back for New Year's Eve if I get all caught up. We could go to the beach if you wanted since we had planned on that_

My anger disappears in two seconds flat. She's coming back for New Year's!? That's a day compared to how long I thought she would be gone! And contrary to popular belief, I had been looking forward to maybe going to the beach, if only to see Nelly in a bikini. Yes, I'm that shallow... but I can't let Nelly know that. So I switch it around.

_Me: One, yes, you are stupid. Two, you'll do anything to see me in a swim suit, won't you? ;)_

_Nelly: I could say the same to you!_

_Me: Spare me. You're as flat as a cutting board_

So not true.

_Nelly: For the record, you don't have a six pack_

Equally untrue.

_Me: now, now, there's no need to be jealous. I'm attractive enough for the both of us_

_Nelly: get a haircut and then we'll talk_

What the hell is that supposed to mean? I run a hand through my hair self-consciously, as if she can see me through the phone. Change the subject.

_Me: so are we going to the beach or not?_

_Nelly: we are_

_Me: Good_

_Nelly: Ha! I knew you wanted to go!_

Why do I feel like I'm playing right into her hands?

_Me: Demon's coming_

_Nelly: fine, just don't lose him :p I don't want to chase him all day_

_Me: i'm gonna be too busy making sure you don't get lost_

_Nelly: how do you even get lost on a beach?_

_Me: Last time I checked, Victor lives here now, too_

Even typing out his name makes me angry...I've been so paranoid since we started officially dating. Nelly's a catch by any guy's standards, not just mine. Even Nathaniel talking to her sets me on edge, and he can't stand her. The only person that doesn't make me nervous is Lysander. Sam is the worst, though, because he and Nelly actually get along.

Maybe I'm a little too possessive.

_Nelly: Awwwww you're jealous how cute_

_Me: no way, who needs you?_

...Me.

_Nelly: you, stupid :)_

Ah, she's smart. It's almost annoying how well she knows my weaknesses after only two months of dating. I do need her. I need her right now.

_Me: Miss you_

_Nelly: Slept with your jacket last night :/_

She..._what?_ I'm not the only one who's pathetic? I consider for a moment telling her about my breakdown, but decide against it. It's different for girls, right? You can't just say that kind of thing when you're a guy. Talking about feelings is strictly forbidden in the guy world, and that's just fine with me.

_Me: you're hopeless_

_Nelly: I know, but that's what makes me charming_

_Me: in your dreams_

_Nelly: spare ME hey sorry I gotta go love you *kisses*_

Written kisses don't have quite the same effect. This is going to be hard, being apart like this. She was right; long distance relationships never work out. The thought fills me with fear that gnaws away at my stomach... But two weeks, and we'll go to the beach. Two weeks isn't long, right?

_Me: love you, too. Don't miss me too much ;)_

_Nelly: as if :) c yah, hotshot_

I jam my phone back into my pocket and keep walking, Demon pulling me along impatiently.

"You're stupid," I mutter to the dog. Demon is stupid; but right now, without Nelly, he's my only source of comfort.

Maybe if I leave now I can catch up to Nelly's car and hijack it like James Bond. That's possible, right? Just scoop Nelly out and hide her in my room until Mr. Faraize decides to keep her home. That'll be the ransom.

My phone starts buzzing again in my back pocket, and I groan, thinking it's Lysander calling to ask where I am. It's not lunch time yet, the moron. But as I look at the caller ID, I see that it's not Lysander. It's Mom...?

"What do you want?" I ask gruffly, putting the phone to my ear.

"Hello, darling!" my mother's high voice comes through the phone. "Are you at school?"

"Yes," I lie. "We're in between classes."

"Ah, perfect timing then! Good! Well, I just wanted to let you know that your father and I will be coming home tomorrow morning. The boss has decided we've been working too hard, the poor dear, and have insisted we take the next three weeks off!"

WHAT?! They show up when I _don't _want them around? For _three_ weeks? I glance at Demon, silently begging him to kill me. He ignores my misery and keeps prancing down the sidewalk.

"Yay..." I groan, not even trying to hide my disappointment.

"Oh, you silly boy, Castiel!" Mom chides. She's talking to me like I'm two years old instead of almost eighteen. "Just think, we'll be here for Christmas!" How exciting.

"Yay..." I groan again.

"Oh, be quiet! Be a good boy and we'll buy you a nice new car! Anywho, my point was, make sure the house is clean and that dog of yours is in the basement and that there's no crazy teenagers running around the house."

"Lysander comes over to practice. And Rosa-"

"Darling, I don't know who Lysander is, and as for this Rose, keep her out too. You're too young to have a girlfriend, Cassy."

"Apparently I'm not too young to live completely by myself," I mutter.

"Oh, nonsense! We're coming tomorrow, aren't we? And darling, no offense, but if you had a girlfriend I'd pity the poor girl. No time for talking, though, I have to pack! Ta-ta!" She hangs up. I turn off the side walk and kick the biggest rock I can find to vent my anger. _The beach!_ They're going to be here for the beach! And Christmas...

I take back every single bitter thought I've had about them leaving me to fend for myself. I like living by myself. It's a helluva lot better than whatever they have planned.

**Poor Cas. It never stops for him, does it? I'm glad you guys really seemed to like the last chapter!**

**~Ava**


End file.
